NYMONROE-L Archives

Archiver > NYMONROE > 1999-09 > 0938568852


From: Dick Halsey <>
Subject: Re: Gravestone preservation and moral dilemmas
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 21:34:12 -0400


Jon Stevens wrote:

> I'm sending this posting to the several genealogy lists I subscribe to in
> order to generate some discussion, and frankly, to get some guidance.
>
> My Aunt and I went to an old family cemetery this past Sunday to gather some
> dates, and look it
> over for the first time since 1977.
>
> I was appalled by the shape of the grounds (badly overgrown), as well as the
> number of eroded stones that were lying on the ground, face up.
>
> My thought is this - *after* documenting where they presently are, I would
> like to:
> - remove the worst of the small stones (about six of them,
> roughly 2" x 12" x 18") from the cemetery,
> - discuss preservation techniques with a geologist I know,
> - perform his recommended preservation method(s),
> - and return the stones to their present location.
>

In NY State, if a cemetery is considered abandoned then the Town is
responsible to maintain it. That would meaning that they at least mow it once a
year.
In a cemetery here in the Town of Greece, the Town many years ago
intentionally laid all the stones flat to the ground so that they could mow.
Their mower broke all the stones in many pieces.
In Irondequoit, the Hooker cemetery was bulldozed many years ago, supposedly
because many stones were knocked over. I am not sure how bulldozing the stones
was supposed to help.

Even trying to clean tombstones can destroy them. Many old ones have small
cracks which can be made larger by wetting them. Most cleaners are acid and not
good for tombstones. An organization called Association for Gravestone Studies
has a good web page on cleaning tombstones. Look at:
http://www.berkshire.net/ags/qcleaners.htm They suggest not using any abrasive
and definately NOT scrubbing.

Some people have covered tombstones will many different compounds to try to
preserve them. None work. Some will turn the stone black or make the them
totally illegible.

I have found the tombstones with the best inscriptions are ones that have
been laying face down for years. Maybe because the the weather hasn't eroded
them. Marbles statues in ancient Greece have been eroded by acid rain coming
from pollution. The same thing is happening here to tombstones.

I would suggest never removing the stones. There probably is no reason to
anyway.

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