LostGraves.org - 23 and Counting

23 reclaimed headstones and counting...

On Memorial Day 2014, after stumbling upon several empty grave sites, I came across a t-bar tool that someone had misplaced.  Not a believer in coincidence but rather serendipitous moments such as these, I took it upon myself to appease my curious nature by plunging the half-inch tube into the empty ground where a headstone should be.  I think I surprised myself when I hit something hard less than an inch below the heavy sod.

I came back the next day armed with tools of the trade: a trowel, a bucket, gardening gloves, and a couple bottles of water.  I then proceeded to reclaim the lost grave.

I've since recovered 23 headstones - all in the Grand Rapids area.  Each has been properly identified and photographed with photos added to the popular recent Ancestry.com acquisition, Find-a-Grave.com, in addition to my own website at... lostgraves.org.

I am amazed at how many headstones are lost and buried due to the passing of time.  Prior to the early 1900s most burials were not of the modern vault-style.  Today, caskets are placed inside a concrete vault to protect both the ground above as well as the casket itself.  Prior to our modern era caskets would be placed into the ground where the heavy weight of the soil added with retained water would crush the casket resulting in a recessed ground at the surface.

Headstones fell and sunk into the ground and years of sod, soil, and debris buried them completely.

My purpose at lostgraves.org is to reclaim these headstones from the earth.  I've found some that were buried as deep as 4 inches below the surface.  Each is fully documented with photos on my website.

On now to the cemetery for some further digging...

Remembering Forgotten Souls through the GRAncestors Reclamation Project

Back before the use of modern element-proof headstones the common stones were not built to last.  Constructed from a soft porous material like limestone, the stones, exposed to the harsh elements, either toppled to the ground, became illegible or both.

These old stones are magnificent and beautiful.  Monuments of remembrance, it is sad how time forgets the sleeping soul.  Those who remembered the loved one's existence too have passed.  There are none left to care for the grave.  The memory of the life once lived is no more.  Such is the sting of time.

I love reading old inscriptions: the mourning loved ones poured forth their souls through verse, scripture, and poetic readings.  Very touching to read.

This Memorial Day as I was walking through the Oakhill Cemetery in Grand Rapids searching for a requested grave photo as a Find-a-Grave volunteer, I stumbled upon a small bit of stone peeking through the grass.  Not very large, less than a foot in diameter.

I knelt beside the hidden grave removing a few large clumps of sod.  When a bit more stone was cleared I could see that the grave was quite large, an old inch-thick limestone monument toppled to the ground many years ago.

I ran back to my car and grabbed my toolbox consisting of: soft-bristle brush for removing debris, a gallon jug of water to clean the grave, camera, pen and paper for recording the inscription, and a gardening trowel to remove the soil from around the headstone's perimeter.

Here is how the stone appeared before cleaning.

I worked on the stone for less than an hour removing large clumps of sod and brushing away heavy amounts of soil.  Finally I was able to see what had not been visible for many decades: the ornate headstone of William T. Per Lee, Esq.  

Because so many headstones are falling into states of disrepair I started the GRAncestors.com Reclamation Project in hopes of preserving and viewing these hidden or illegible stones, recording the information found, and uploading to both GRAncestors.com and Find-a-Grave.com giving the forgotten soul an eternal memorial. 

Here is the finished product.

The inscription reads:


OUR FATHER
WILLIAM T. PER LEE
DIED
Aug. 8, 1878
Aged 64 Yrs, 7 Ms, 8 Ds.
(Calculated Birth Date = 31 December 1813)
After life's fitful fever, he sleeps well

To learn more about the GRAncestors.com Reclamation Project, please visit our website at:
http://www.grancestors.com/reclamation-project.html

Proper Techniques in Cleaning Gravestones

I find myself in a cemetery or two nearly every week during the Spring/Summer/Fall season.  Many old stones are difficult to read as the inscriptions have worn thin due to wind and rain erosion. 

I am appalled to find gravestones covered with chalk dust: a mistake that injures soft porous stones.  Please do not ever use chalk to scribble over an inscription.  Yes, this technique will work as the chalk fills in the areas surrounding the thin outlines of letters making these easy to read.  However, the chalk will soak in to the stone causing a discoloration. 

Here is one method that I personally use.  All that you need is:

1) a soft-bristle brush (no wires or other hard materials)
2) a jug of water (or several if no water supply in cemetery)
3) a bottle of Palmolive Oxy dish soap

You may have seen this Oxy degreaser advertised on TV as a laundry detergent.  It works great.  It suds easily and removes much dirt and debris.

The first thing I do is wet the inscription by leaning a gallon of water against the top of the stone and allowing the water to pour down the surface.

Once thoroughly wettened I then add a few drops of Palmolive Oxy to my soft bristle brush and proceed to lightly scrub the stone to loosen dirt and debris. 

I will again add water to remove the dirt I have loosened.  This sometimes will take several scrubbings to remove all the dirt to the point that the inscription becomes legible.  That is why you will need access to plenty of water. 

The OXY soap will create a lather.  I find that sometimes the inscription becomes legible with the lather left in place.  In the picture below I have completed scrubbing a small section of a hard-to-read inscription.  You can see how easy it has become to read it.  

After I removed the dirt with water the inscription was still easy to see but it was not as legible.

Another trick I will use with light inscriptions is the flashlight technique.  Hold a powerful flashlight at a slight angle against the stone in close proximity to the inscription.  You will find that the light casts shadows within the faintest of outlines making the inscriptions "pop out" even without cleaning.

I will often use a combination of these two techniques when photographing hard-to-read inscriptions.  And I can feel relieved that I have done nothing to harm the grave for future generations.