Sharing a story from West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
When I read stories like this one that was recently online and there is an option to post a comment, I often do so.
I always hope my comments boost support for those featured in these types of stories -- people and organizations who are striving to properly preserve cemeteries and/or conserve gravestones.
I think offering positive comments enhances the value of these published stories and brings greater awareness of the plight so many of America's cemeteries face, particularly the early pioneer burial grounds that are now often forgotten and left to fall into further deterioration.
So, please if you feel so inclined and have a few extra moments in your day, lend your written support through posted comments in response to stories such as this one. Your contribution will be an inspiration to other readers.
Below are my comments to this story:
Many of the stories behind the stones can be found in news paper
accounts of the day; in headlines, obituaries, obscure 'tidbit' type
stories of who went to visit who, etc. Also, in some states like Ohio
where I live, many counties in the 1880s into the early 1900s published
county histories that included biographical information about
individuals, families, churches, businesses, and cemeteries that have
gone into reprint editions in more recent years. Some of these
publications are offered online too. A gravestone is a tangible
artifact that was erected at the site of the deceased person it was
meant to identify and memorialize. To fulfill its intended purpose it
should be kept whole and as original as possible; meaning the
inscription and epitaphs are clear and readable. A gravestone has many
enemies, but none more destructive than man himself.
