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Archiver > CEMETERY > 2000-07 > 0962774125


From: "~John & Terri Lee" <>
Subject: Re: [Old Bones CEMETERY-L] Cemetery Restoration
Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2000 00:15:25 -0500
References: <200106301900.f5UJ0YY17609@lists5.rootsweb.com> <3B4342B6.31746995@suscom.net>


Gloria,
Happy 4th to you and all...
I hope all have had a safe one...
Thank you for the advice.

Let me say to all, that this was posted to the group by a friend of mine who
added me to the list she had found while surfing. She uses my computer and
adds me to things if she thinks it will help. Don't get me wrong, I really
enjoy the list but did not know about it until I got a weird post from
myself. Which was made up of several different posts and e-mails.

So let me start at the top if I may...
This cemetery resides on private property, the property owner is a real
um... ya... anyway. Due to this I was forced to go directly to the townboard
to try and get them to care for it. (Wisconsin State Law clearly indicates
if a cemetery becomes abandoned or the care takes become unable to care for
it, they care then falls to the township.)

Because of the property owner's unwillingness, on June 11th I went to the
town board and requested the town take over care which they agreed to do.
However they do not have funding for clean up. It came back on me that if I
would do the clean up and restoration they would maintain... (State law
states they have to maintain the cemetery however they do not have to clean
it up, if the person or persons who bring it before the board do not agree
to clean it up, they do not have to maintain it.)

I have contacted the genealogical community, county and state. Both refuse
to get involved.

One of the conditions of the town taking care of the cemetery, was I had to
prove who owned it, and I did. I was able to track down the land records
that make an exception for the cemetery.

The next condition was I had to prove who was buried in the cemetery. So I
went to work on researching it. This family was a living legend in town.
The "father" was one of the first ministers in town. The "son" was a civil
war general who had a GAR and Ladies Relief Post named after him. He was one
of the counties first lawyer. He did other great things in the area. His
brother "laid down the pen and took up the sword", and was the owner of a
news paper here in the county. Not the first, the second. However of the men
of this family who left for the war, only the above 2 and an uncle returned.
Sister to these men was widowed 3 times by the civil war.

The people in this plot are parents, grandparents, sister, brother, niece,
and uncle. and 1 unknown 5 year old boy by the name of Richard Burns. This
is the only known burial we can not identify as being kin to those buried in
the small family plot.

Because father was a minister, we feel there may be more burials in the plot
but they are unknown... Father was also involved with the Indians and due to
this we feel there may be Indians buried in the plot.
However the Indians require proof before they will help.

The Son's of the Union who are interested in protecting Civil War soldiers
graves will not help because we do not know of any war vets actually buried
in the cemetery. The "federal funding" the post refers to is the funding
received from the state or federal government to repair or replace
headstones.

At this point I have put in over "two thousand" man hours researching and
getting the town to deal with maintaining the cemetery. I have put in almost
a thousand dollars dealing with this as the actual cemetery is 45 minutes
away from me, the townboard is about an hour away. I paid a lawyer 450.00
to tell me the laws as they applied to the land documents I had found.
(Refer to the bottom of e-mail)

At this point I can give no more. My resources are tapped out and I am
drained.
I have contacted:
Local TV and newspapers... none feel this is a story that is worth of their
attention. And that is exactly what I was told by the TV station. The
newspaper blew me off.

I have contacted Legion Posts - VFW Posts - Sons of the Union Post's -
Veterans Offices and Woman's Societies for help. All have refused to help. I
don't have an actual vets name I can place with in the cemetery...

I have contacted every church in the county. Infact 3 weeks ago I sent out
almost 30.00 worth of letters. I even wrote one to the Diocese and of those
I have heard from, all have refused.
We have not seen anything any where that states what religion the minister
was, as all we have seen has pointed him out as a circuit riding minister.

I am not in the correct county to qualify for the grants I have seen or
heard about or tried for. I know of none in the Calumet County area.

All of our prisoners are shipped off to different areas and there is no
prison in this county, and I did contact one and they said they did not have
the funding or means to travel that far...

Our genealogical society has refused to help as they have no - and receive
no funding. (I find this hard to believe as I have seen how much they charge
to do a look up.) And are unable to do the work as most are over the age of
80!

The historical Society County and State refuse to help as this is not within
their budget. Also they refuse to give historical status to the site as it
wasn't the first minister - nor is it the Generals finial resting place.

I have written state reps - congressmen - legislators - mayors - townboard
members.
I have written to local companies and business.
I have gone to several places asking for donations and have been told no
they do not have time or funding to help.

I am very nice to these people, I show them photographs and present it to
them in a extremely humble manner. I am always very nice and sweet and show
everyone the facts, tell them what we would like done and am then am kicked
in the teeth and sent on my way.

I am now finding out that the property owner is a big-shot within the
county. Due to this the town made it difficult on me to get this motion
passed and dealt with. But we did it... so far.

Now we are awaiting easement issues before we can actually get in there and
do anything. However a month has gone by and they are still very wishy washy
about it... This is one of 11 cemeteries in this county that needs to be
dealt with. On July 9th there is another board meeting and I have requested
to come in and see where the easement issue is. I was told that there was no
reason to come, the town board would let me know when they completed the
issues at hand. Cemetery restoration was brought up in 1977 & 1993 and both
times this cemetery was tabled until dropped. And I feel it is because of
who's property it rests upon. However I did find the land documents
indicating the cemetery is actually owned by a woman who has been dead over
100 years. (I thought that fell into the category of "abandoned" and
"unable" to care for the cemetery.

I have been told I should just do it myself and set an example of the issue
for others to follow. And I wish I could.
I have a disabled arm, I can not run a weedeater, I can not run a power
mower, I can not lift a stone back into place. It is not because I don't
want to, I am unable to.

At this point I am drained.
I have a few more avenues to try and once those are exhausted I will be
forced to quit.

I do thank you for the time it took to respond, and I will keep after it as
long as I can. However at this point I am unsure where to turn for help
within this small backward county.
I am ecstatic that someone was actually able to get something so worth while
done and I congratulate you on your success. I only hope to have 1/4 as
much.
Terri
http://familypreservation.homestead.com/index.html

Wisconsin Land ownership laws state:
Any land of section of land that has been unclaimed for more than 30 years
by the actual lawful owners is considered abandoned. If a land owner on a
neighboring section of property claims the land as his own and uses it for
it's intended purpose he may claim the land as his own and if after another
term of 30 years the land owners have not come forth to claim the property
the property is then the rightful property of the claimant.
This is also known as squatters rights.

However if in certain circumstances, the town, county or state governing
body may come forth and revoke the ownership...

In my case the land owner now owns it, but because he did not USE IT FOR
IT"S INTENDED PURPOSE (cemetery) the town and or county could take it away
as the original property owner is deceased for 100 years. And they will not
because this man is a hot shot in the community.
Thats 450.00 worth from a actual "lawyer".








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