Kentucky Ancestors, Volume 46, Number 2 - Kentucky Historical ...
Kentucky Ancestors, Volume 46, Number 2 - Kentucky Historical ...
Kentucky Ancestors, Volume 46, Number 2 - Kentucky Historical ...
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Old Sharpsburg City Cemetery, Bath Co. <strong>Kentucky</strong>. (Photo courtesy of Dorothy Clemons.)<br />
for the local residents to know where the cemeteries<br />
are within their county; they need to watch the<br />
newspaper for land being offered for sale where a<br />
cemetery is located; they need to watch the outcomes<br />
of the meetings of fiscal courts and city commissions<br />
that give permission for cemeteries to be moved.<br />
Descendants who live out of town or even out of state<br />
will have no idea the land their ancestors are buried<br />
on is for sale or has been sold. They will have to rely<br />
on the local people to be their spokespersons.<br />
In an attempt to provide as much information<br />
as possible to those who are interested in cemetery<br />
preservation, I have often provided on-site<br />
workshops. These workshops offer a chance for<br />
interested people to meet, get printed information<br />
(gravestone repair, cleaning headstones, mapping<br />
cemeteries, headstone rubbings “do’s and don’ts,” and<br />
applicable <strong>Kentucky</strong> law), exchange questions, and if<br />
possible, go to a local cemetery for hands-on training<br />
about proper stone cleaning techniques.<br />
History lives through all our efforts to preserve,<br />
protect, document, and share. History lives through<br />
cemetery preservation, and this is happening on a<br />
much greater scale than was seen in the past. More<br />
and more people are becoming interested in and<br />
taking pride in protecting their family cemeteries,<br />
and thus they are realizing their wonderful history<br />
that is contained in the stories the stones have to<br />
tell. Reading the stones many times gives a picture of<br />
the person who rests there, and then there are those<br />
resting places that are marked only with a field stone<br />
or maybe no stone, and you are left to wonder about<br />
their story.<br />
In this rapidly changing world where vacant land<br />
102 | <strong>Kentucky</strong> <strong>Ancestors</strong><br />
is at a premium and where land once set aside for the<br />
family burial ground many times is in jeopardy, it<br />
is more important than ever for family members to<br />
take steps to research, find, document, photograph,<br />
map, and protect their family cemeteries. The history<br />
found on the stones tells the story of those who were<br />
placed there with loving care and respect. Our job,<br />
as descendants, and those interested in preservation,<br />
is to continue to extend that respect by protecting<br />
their resting place. They deserve no less. Cemetery<br />
preservation is important work, efforts are on-going,<br />
and much remains to be done. If you are currently<br />
involved in preserving a cemetery, thank you and<br />
please continue the rescue. If you are not currently<br />
involved in preserving a cemetery, please consider<br />
seeking out people in your community who are, get<br />
involved, and keep the work going.<br />
Ann G. Johnson<br />
Cemetery Preservation<br />
<strong>Kentucky</strong> <strong>Historical</strong> Society<br />
100 West Broadway<br />
Frankfort, <strong>Kentucky</strong> 40601<br />
P: 502-564-1792, Ext. 4404<br />
F: 502-564-4701<br />
anng.johnson@ky.gov<br />
For more information about the KHS Cemetery<br />
Preservation Program or to request a workshop, please<br />
contact Ann Johnson at 502-564-1792, ext. 4404, or<br />
by e-mail at AnnG.Johnson@ky.gov.