It’s possible that the inscription found on a headstone can solve a mystery that has puzzled you for years, but sometimes the headstone is a puzzle itself. That was the experience of Find a Grave® volunteer, Christine Hanson, and her daughter at Slate Ridge Cemetery when they found headstone jigsaw puzzles by happenstance.
This cemetery sits high on a hill which overlooks the small town of Delta, Pennsylvania. Christine and her daughter were in the process of fulfilling photo requests that day. There are two sections and the old section doesn’t include a lot of shady spots.
They were working out in the sun and after awhile took a break by a small grove of bushes. Christine shared her story with us.
While we were getting some shade, it was obvious there were stone pieces all around us. Some just above the soil line, some that one would never see without digging. We began the process of carefully recovering the stones, turning them over to see if they had intact carving on them, digging out those that were barely visible and so on.
There were many types of stone used in this graveyard (including metal), though the majority were black slate, due to the huge slate quarry which sits below the cemetery. Initially we turned the stones over and left them in place, though when stones are found along the periphery, they tend to be nowhere close to the actual place of interment. There is always a combination of sadness and excitement when we find these pieces, particularly when we find multiple pieces of the same stone. It gives me an incredible sense of satisfaction when I find stones which are not currently documented and I am able to add them to Find a Grave, but even more so when I am literally able to piece together a broken stone that has been scattered about and left as rubble.
Elizabeth’s stone was in a pile of slate pieces not far from the edge of the cemetery, along the crest of the hill. We assembled her stone, along with many others and took photos. There was no way to tell where this person was initially buried, so like the others, we left them as they were, where they were, but assembled properly in a readable fashion. Again, we could tell she died in the 1700s, but that is a hundred-year span.
Her Find a Grave memorial existed, with a photo of three possible above ground stones taken in 2012 by another volunteer. Finding her stone allowed us to add a photo of her exact information to the Find a Grave memorial. Neither photo shows us exactly where she was buried, but considering this is a headstone from 1773 that may not be recorded anywhere else, it is so rewarding that I would be doing this everyday if I could!
John Wright’s stone was a particular challenge. It was carved from a local brownstone, which is very grainy and crumbles easily, not to mention the stone being over 150 years old and not well cared for. Still, we were able to find nearly all the pieces and reassemble them on the ground before photographing. The biggest challenge for that stone was finding the ‘when’ of Mr. Wright’s life. The only year had worn away. It was only just recently that we conclusively were able to match the stone to the young man and added the photo to his Find a Grave memorial.
These bits of stone, assembled into a complete picture, help me to add bits of information to often incomplete records. To me, each marker represents a human being, once living and breathing with a story or stories to share.
Thank you to all Find a Grave volunteers. Your valuable work and efforts are making a difference and helping family members with personal discoveries every day.
I find it very interesting and heartwarming the work they are doing. Someone at one time loved and cared for these people but in over 100 years most of the families are gone and no one to care for the stones.
Wasn’t it over 200 years now?
The century containing the 1700s covers 100 years so it wasn’t possible to pinpoint her birth and death dates.
Great work you are doing! Thank you !
Very wonderful individuals, angels on earth for sure. God bless them all, thanks for all you do ❤️🤗❤️🤗❤️
We were attempting to find a gggreat aunt . I did find a stone on find a grave I never wrote down the plot etc. So one day we went searching again. I did get a signal on my phone so I got on find a grave typed in someone’s name from a headstone. That gave me the plot number and row. Good. I kept doing that. Until we had the right row. But couldn’t find the stone. At the end of a row was a stone covered up 3/4 way.. I brushed dirt and grass found her name. That was incredible and I so glad that I was able to find her by entering other names.
Thank you all who enters names. I wish I could do that. Maybe we can some Saturday. Thanks for everyone hard work doing that and thank you for the lovely idea
Thank you for what you do !!♥️
According to the property code of every city in the USA places of interment, whether they be cemeteries, graveyards, or “other” are supposed to require that some margin of maintenance be offered to graves by the deed holders of the property that the place of internment is located.
This maintenance, though, is generally restricted to foliage control, such as grass, bushes, ivy, and trees. Sadly, the maintenance of gravestones is predominantly left to family members of the deceased or local volunteers, individually or as members of organizations such as historical societies.
Many gravesites were purchased with perpetual care provisions. My family purchased 4 plots for $75 including perpetual care. To those believing that will go on forever, you are unrealistic in your expectation.
These are our ancestors. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them. WE CARE!!
That is truly a remarkable find!
Thank you so much for your work.
I am very interested about Mr. Wright as my gg grandmother married a Mr. Wright. I hope to learn more.
Amazing! That has to be rewarding. Great job!
That would be my dream job. Unfortunately my health won’t allow it. If you want to see some very interesting headstones, come to Cedar City Utah. in the old section is the headstone that tells of a mother and child who died from rabies. They are in the same grave. Her husband was out hunting at the time of their deaths.
How sad!
Wonderful work on spotting the forgotten stones and putting the bits back together. I often wish that there was a group or company dedicated to restoring broken or fallen stones to help keep them upright. the cemetery I visit where I have family has many old stones that have fallen into the dirt and are broken but still on the grave. Others are cracked and tipping. How I wish I could find someone to repair them.
There are companies out there that specialize in repairing and re-setting stones. The cemetery in Medway Ohio had a good number repaired a few years ago. They also cleaned stones. I will try to contact the groundskeeper and see if I can get a company name.
There is a gentleman by the name of John Heider in Monticello, Illinois. He and his wife do this work. They are very good.
PLEASE share info…..my 5th great grandparents’ stones have been repeatedlhh damaged. There are many of us scattered across the USA who could share in expense.
There is such a company in Mississippi called “The Cemetery Doctor”. The owner’s name is Trent Lewis and he and his men have a passion for properly restoring old gravestones and cemeteries.
I live in mid-Michigan and there is an individual in my area that does just that. He has a job but on his days off, he repairs, cleans and straightens headstones. He does a great job.
Where is this cemetery located? I have several Patterson family members in my family tree. In fact, when I was 77 years old, I discovered that a Man by the name of Rannel Oscar Patterson. So, at the age of 80 I am trying to piece together my actual family.
If you ever hear about such a business, please let us know! My 5th Gr grandparents stones have been repeated damaged over the yrs. There are 100s of descendants who could share the cost….
There are reference books and magazines on gravestone restoration. Also, volunteers from historical societies and youth groups such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America can lend a hand in the straightening and repair of damaged gravestones.
However, particular care must be exercised in attempting to restore fragile headstones and footstones. The best suggestion to offer the untrained restorer when coming to the aid of endangered fragile gravestones is to first study up on the endeavor, then practice on straightening, cleaning, and restoring non-fragile gravestones, such as those made of granite.
Also, for safety purposes be sure to work in teams, take your time, and obtain the permission of both the authority in charge of the cemetery and, if possible the owner of the cemetery plot where the gravestone in need of restoration is located.
Those people and companies exist.
It is wonderful that you have found and assembled these headstones. They are a tribute to some ones life. We all need to remember our ancestors. That is why we are here!
That is such a great story. It must have been so rewarding. Thank u from all the subscribers who are members of Find a Grave. I am still trying to find the burial place of of my 3rd great aunt Sophrona Van Wyck/Snow (1839/40 – 1869/70) who died in Dufferin County, or perhaps Peel County, Ontario Canada. I cannot even locate a death certificate. She left a husband John Philpott Snow & children, who are all accounted for as per burials Apparently according to information I received, graves in Orangeville were moved to another cemetery around the time of her death. I am sure there had to be a headstone, as everyone else in the family has one.
I have a Cornelia Van Wyck from Claverack, NY. Born in 1807 died in 1850. She married Wm Hubbard Hobbs in NY in 1825. Any connection?
Sorry David the names & the dates as far as I know do not match up with my Tree
Dianne, Canada didn’t start to record births, marriages & deaths until 1872 and most of the early records are very incomplete. You may be able to access them through your library that contains genealogy information or http://www.familysearch.org
Thanks for the info. Family Search has no record.
If your ancestors were Catholic, there is a great deal information available. Part of my family were some of the first Canadian settlers. I’ve found their baptism, marriage and death information through church records.
Did you check out all of the Orangeville cemeteries. I believe there are three of them. I have relatives buries in two of them,
Yes Colleen I have checked with all the cemeteries in Dufferin County and Peel County. I even talked to the caretaker at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Orangeville, he is the one that told me some graves were moved about 1865/1872 from Greenwood to Forest Lawn. As all my ancestors are buried either in Caledon or Orangeville cemeteries and all are accounted for, but for Sophronia. My grandfather’s farm backed up on to the Caledon United Church Cemetery on Hwy. 10. When I was a kid I used to climb the fence and wander around the stones. The cemetery at that time was in terrible shape, over grown with weeds etc. Years later they cleaned it up. I have a strong suspect that is were she is buried, but many stones are missing. If I could find here death certificate, which I cannot, maybe this brick wall would come to an end. I have a picture of her – she was very beautiful, and died young leaving a family.
Yes Colleen I have checked with all the cemeteries in Dufferin, Peel, Wellington. No results. I even talked to the manger of Forest Lawn Cemetery in Orangeville, he was the person who told me graves were moved about that time 1870. My grandfathers farm backed up against the Caledon United Church Cemetery, Hwy. 10. As I kid I used to climb the fence & wander around the stones. At that time the cemetery was in very bad shape, not look after at all. A few yrs. later they cleaned it up, I always wondered were the broken & unreadable stones went. I have a strong feeling that she is buried in that cemetery, but cannot find any proof. If I could get a hold of the Methodist minister records from the Caledon Church at that time, maybe that would solve the problem.
Dianne Semmens – found pictures of Sophrona and Abigail – contact me on my profile Mary Barnes
Was she possibly buried in the small cemetery in Mono. I have family members buried there starting in the 1990’s. It is an old cemetery and the church and many earlier graves actually fell off the cliff a long time ago.
Hello Susanne – Have checked all cemeteries in the region including Mono. I have ancestors buried there also. My 3rd great grandfather Samuel Alexander Montgomery was one of the earliest pioneers to Mono. His stone house still stands there.
Very good work! I’d be interested to know how you were able to find out that “John Thomas” referred to “John Thomas Wright” ? Were there other Wrights nearby in this cemetery with similar stones?
I think if you look down a bit below the “John Thomas” line there is faintly a likely father’s name ending in “Wright”. Perhaps above that might have been a line ” Son of -” or something to that effect.
This is similar to what I attempted to do at a local cemetery a few years back. The stones I worked with were not broken, but misplaced; the Babyland Section at Hill of Rest in Baytown TX. I had no camera for proof, only a keen eye; frequent visits convinced me the stones were not in the same place. They were small and easily moved; their juxtaposition to permanent gravesites obviously different. I suspected a gardener did so for ease of mowing. Sadly, I was not taken seriously. I think a drone might have proven my suspicions.
I applaud these people who have lovingly re-assembled these broken tombstones and recorded them, acknowledging the existence of, and honoring those long passed on, for they once were we are now. What a wonderful thing you’ve done!
Thank you for all of your hard work! Always makes me sad to see a neglected stone.
Wonderful story, so glad you could assemble the “puzzle pieces” of the headstone! I found the cemetery location of a 4th great grandfather, (died in 1863), and while checking the “field” next to his gravesite, I found a small square piece of marble with the initials D.D.D. on it and I realized that had to be the foot stone for his headstone, David Daniel Davis! I assume that a gardener had tossed it in the field to keep from having to mow over this small stone sticking up. So, I dug a small hole at the base of his gravesite and placed the foot stone at below the level of the grass so it could have a lawn mower go over the top of it. Takes the “eyes and hands” of all of us to help preserve these old graves and cemeteries!
Thank you for caring enough to possibly help a family member locate their relatives! “”People are only forgotten if no one ever knew they existed.”” All Find a Grave members make sure that EVERYONE we find IS REMEMBERED!
This is wonderful that you are able to put together the pieces of the stone. Its so sad that they are allowed to fall apart like that. However wonderful this is it also makes me sad to think that one day our gravesites and headstones could be the same way. I wish the cemetery sexton could find the broken stones on their trips around the cemetery and would call out a stone mason to fix the stones and re install them on the graves.
Great work to both of you.
In many rural cemeteries, hogs can destroy markers and dig big holes. Some cemeteries have put out big traps to try to capture them. They can really tear up a cemetery, and knock over large headstones!
Wonderful Work. I know personally that I have hit many dead-ends in my searches of local cemeteries due to deteriorated and missing headstones. Or finding nothing at all when searching where a family member thought there were graves of ancestors. Thank you so much for your time and efforts in these matters. God Bless and Best of Luck.
Sincerely, Sean Sirnic
A great story, and great people doing a great service to everyone!
Here is one mystery tombstone I solved… https://www.quirkyscience.com/german-tombstone/
Vincent, I just finished reading you post about deciphering the head stone. And you working with someone in the Kite family. My paternal grandmothers maiden name was Kite. I would be very interested in and information you could share with me.
I do indeed connect with the Kite family, although not directly, In fact, Kite was the middle name of my grandmother. Interestingly, in a most indirect way the name Kite connects with the Widener family, part of which went down with the Titanic. Here is my article on that connection… https://www.quirkyscience.com/r-m-s-titanic/ Please contact me about the KITE line, sending me a message at my Profile on Find a Grave.
Thank you all for the great work you are doing.
GARY, PLEASE HELP 71 YO ME. FG CHANGED MY EMAIL TO SOMETHING I NEVER HAD. SUPPORT HAS BEEN NO HELP OR EVEN CONTACTED ME.
Hi Londa, we have contacted you at a the email address that you registered with on Find a Grave. If you don’t see the email please check your spam or trash email boxes.
Thank you for your contributions to locating and finding graves for Find a Grave
Thanks to the wonder volunteers that make sure those that are gone are not forgotten.
Thank you both so much for what you are doing. It is a huge task to just go to a cemetery, far out in the country away from one’s residence. I have WRIGHT related to my MILLS family as well. Mostly are in around Dayton, Montgomery Co, Ohio area. My first experience with an old cemetery, was near Gingingsburg near Troy Ohio. Most were field stones. Letters carved on them only. But I was told by my cousins that these were our ancestors and the little cemetery was on their original land grant as early settlers. Thank you again for all your tireless work.
While very interesting, I thought Find a Grave has always stated NOT to do anything to a tombstone other than brush off leaves or grass. ??? This goes far beyond that.
Hi Belle, you are correct and we should do everything we can to protect existing headstones. This story of these broken stones being found, gathered, and pieced together is truly remarkable as the information about these people could have been forgotten and was found due to their efforts. There are a couple of questions regarding this in our Help: https://support.findagrave.com/s/article/Questions-about-Photo-Requests or one can look at our Guides section at news.findagrave.com for more information.
The same thing happened to my 4t Great who was buried in Chenango Co, NY in the Riverside /view Cemetery in South New Berlin. Everyone i hired to do research came up with, “I’m sorry but we can not find your 5th great Thomas Sergeant/Sergent buried in that cemetery. I found a very kind woman(and smart) who did really good research in Milford, Otsego Co not to far (abt 25 miles) She and her son piled some tools in her car, and set out to find Thomas. There was a huge space between his wife and brother. This lady used a metal rod, and kept poking in the grass, and sure enough, hit something hard. She carefully pulled back the grass and Mud to reveal his stone, and it was really not in that bad of shape but apparently had been broken off a very long time ago. He died in 1835. My male cousin who lived in new Berlin at one time was so excited he had another stone made. .I was so happy. We did this together! Doug has since deceased but he said since I paid a researcher to find it, he had the money to remake a new one!! Check it out>
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27454950/thomas-sergeant
I have seen many broken stones with pieces nowhere to be found. One that stands out with me is one with the name broken off, but with all other information intact, especially the inscription “Gone, but not forgotten”. Sadly, with the name missing, they are forgotten.
Pieces were probably moved by workers mowing the cemetery
I was working with a team of 4 others to do all of Cottonwood County in SW Minnesota when farmer found a whole obelisk style marker buried on its side deep in a field. After a whole lot of confusion, it turned out that the family of the deceased had formerly owned the farm and wanted to replace the marker with a more modern and readable one. I think it ended up in the local historical society with an explanatory label. But maybe my memory is more damaged than the stone. The stone doesn’t have to be broken to be mysterious. LOL
Good work there. I have somewhat like experience. My gg-grandfather, John Brady – I found he should have been in a cemetery in Idaho. That was where his 2nd wife was. Had asked a volunteer to try to locate it. She found his wife’s stone. But not his. However, there was a stone stub next to her stone. Records from the 1930 survey said his stone was there. His was a government issued stone as he had service in the union army. Found records of it in 3fold. Clearly sometime between the 1930s and current, the stone was broken. So, I was able to get the government to make a new full stone (for free) and ship it to the caretaker of the cemetery. The caretake gave me the email address of the firm they use to set stones. I was able to work with them to set the stone and replace the stone stub.
My biggest problem in locations of graves is that many of my family members were too poor to do a stone. So, they are unmarked. If the cemetery records note the actual location of the grave, no problem. I have had stones made and set. In one case, the cemetery records did not exist. But the death records clearly noted the person was in that cemetery. The cemetery in question was being cleared by a person. Working with that person I was able to have a stone made and placed in a notable location, noting in honor of my relative and all the unmarked persons in that cemetery. I now feel a sense of ease knowing that my relative had been honored by a stone.
I loved working in cemeteries and over the years transcribed thousands of headstones. It is a very rewarding experience and a great way to spend a quiet day outside. Being able to piece together fragments of headstones makes the job even more rewarding. Good for you for taking the time to try and solve the puzzles.
God bless you for your love of history and care of preserving such. I am always grateful to hear these stories. Thank you for your devotion and time to help others recover lost information!
My Dad worked after school, as a mower in the local cemetery in the early 1940’s. He mentioned decades ago, when I started doing genealogy and transcribing the oldest headstones, that the man in charge of mowing made them throw the broken pieces of old headstones down the bank and into the small pond next to it. I’ve always wanted to ask the owners of that pond, on the neighboring farm, if we could drain it of scuba dive it to try to recover those important relics of the past.
“Lost names” may STILL be on the stones. Take a bright LED flashlight, hold it almost parallel to the stone surface so that it casts good shadows in the inscriptions — worn down names can sometimes be recovered this way. You may wish to bring a dark cloth to through over yourself and the stone, to help increase the shadow making. Try shining the light from different directions, too. Be ready to explain if someone, especially a groundskeeper, asks what you are doing!
Great work! You are heroes!!!!
Thanks to you and the other volunteers who are doing this work to restore headstones and then make the information available on the web ! Because of one of you, I was able to locate my great grandfather in Nisky Hill Cemetery in Bethlehem, PA , in time to take my then 90 year old father to the gravesite to pay his respects. I had been fruitlessly searching for years , at my father’s request, for this then unknown location until one day , I tried Find a Grave , and suddenly, there was my great grandfather’s stone ! This family is forever grateful !
When I visited Centre county Penna. I found that the practice of piling tombstones that had fallen was common. Most of the relatives I was searching for were missing. I did not know that one could search through the piles. If I get back to Penna I will search further
I delight in reading these stories from like-minded persons who view these old stones as more than “just stones” of people from earlier generations. I have a similar story regarding a ggg grandmother, buried in the family cemetery in Upper Fairmount, MD. Many years ago, a cousin (now long deceased) had laid down a blacktop slab over several graves, apparently in an effort to protect the graves, in an area prone to flooding. He had also built up the ground as much as possible, taking great care and pride in our family history. Sadly, the stone of my ggg grandmother had broken, and fallen apart, but I was determined to replace it with a new stone. While I had Family Bible records that showed her birth date, which was also on her gravestone, I could not find her death date. HOWEVER, it was actually on the stone, but was beneath the blacktop slab. As carefully as I could, I chipped away at the blacktop, taking pictures before, during, and after my efforts, but could only make out the month, day, and partial year of her death: July 16, 185? — that last digit could not be made out. I knew she was still alive in 1850, since she appeared in the census records for Somerset Co, MD. So what date was I going to put on the new stone? I agonized over this for months, and finally just went with my “best guess”, based on what I could see, having ‘1856’ put on the new stone. I’ve since regretted this, since I just don’t know if it’s correct. I have my doubts–and always will, until/unless I find out for certain what year she died. I’ve tried in vain to locate records which would reveal her true year of death. Would be open to, and grateful for anyone who could help solve this one. I still have photos, but don’t know how to post them here. Her name was Sarah (Hall) Maddux.
Stephen, have you tried looking for an obituary in local papers? Sometimes, even if you don’t find one for the individual, a date of death is mentioned when a spouse, sibling or another family member dies.
Sometimes if you take a picture, you can use photography programs to manipulate the lighting in the picture and come up with the date. Helps if you are familiar with the letter types used on stones
I found this very interesting as my husband’s ancestors are buried in Slateville Cemetery, also overlooking Delta, PA. Charlotte
Thank you for doing this! So many of my ancestors have broken gravestones, and I bless the people who find pieces, search for like stones/script, and place them near the major part of the headstone. You are angels!
I can commend them for the job they did. In today’s world, so many people are cremated. Ashes are who knows where. It’s like they never existed. Sad. Still believe in some type of intermittent or inurnment.
I have not pieced a headstone together but have reset several that had fallen over.
I also clean headstones that are mostly unreadable because of moss, likens and such using the chemical used by Arlington National Cemetery to clean theirs. It takes some elbow grease and time but it works. After the stones are cleaned a yearly spraying keeps them clean. D/2 Headstone Cleaner
Does Find-a-Grave help support people doing things like this? A friend of mine lives in a small burg in mid-lower-peninsula Michigan (Lake Township) and there is a small cemetery down the road from his house. The cemetery was apparently started by the man who owned the property near the start of the 1900s and my friend says that when he first bought his cabin, there were dozens of headstones there.
We suspect that some of them may have been moved to the ‘official’ local cemetery or to other cemeteries in Michigan (we haven’t yet confirmed even so much as one) but also suspect that there may have been vandalism or theft involved.
As of now, only two headstones remain in the cemetery – one for the original property owner and one for his mother.
My friend would like to find out if there are people still buried there without any memorial due to such possible vandalism or theft and is willing to volunteer to make some kind of memorial to be placed on their graves. But I have already exhausted local resources to try to find more information on who is buried there. (it appears local resources were compiled rather recently from visual inspection of the cemetery and thus only list the two graves)
To get more information I’m going to need to get more information out and find sources of information that are not known to the local historians.
Thank you forever for your work I use find a grave all the time in my research. My dau has taken pictures of a few of the Cemeteries in Cache county , Utah. I helped her with one about 12 or 13 years ago. I am now too old but I appreciate you so much.
I remember the day that my dad had to quit taking pictures of stones and recording the info with Find a Grave.
He took great pride in this that he was helping families find out about their family history. He actually found my great-great grandfather in a local cemetery in MI. He was able to get the Veterans Admin to provide a stone for him because he fought in I believe the war of 1812.
Around 1982,I wrote down every grave in this Slate Ridge cemetery because I had been going there frequently to find family members.The main person for whom I was searching was John Thomas Wright and his wife Ann.Her maiden name according to my grandmother was probably Tate. I have found most of the family from that John Wright to present day. Copies of my complete listings of the graves are in the public library in Bel air,Md.,in the historical society in Baltimore,Md,in the historical society of York,Pa and the historical society in Annapolis,Md.
The Wrights were the great great grandparents of my grandmother …Mary Celeste Wright who married into the Webster family.The Websters were linked to a hero of The battle at Fort McHenry…John Adams Webster.
I will visit the Slate Ridge cemetery in Delta,PA.to check on John wright’s stone.
Ronald Webster Mullin
Would a monument company that makes headstones also do repairs? Worth a phone call. I know my cousin had her grandmother’s headstone repaired by such a company.
While doing recent genealogical research, I discovered where my father’s two siblings who died in infancy were buried. The surprise was that there was another baby in that grave – a little cousin! I was told by a cemetery person that the section where these three babies are buried was often used for the “poor” who could not afford a grave. I just visited a monument company and got a price for a reasonably priced plaque. A regular headstone is just too cost prohibitive so I plan on purchasing the plaque. These sweet children (who may have died from the Spanish Flu) who never had a chance at life will at least be memorialized in death instead of an unmarked grave.
In a world that is getting more and more “cyber” in every way, I feel the work of those of us who record our relatives and friends in Find a Grave are doing important work. I especially LOVE the work Christine Hanson and daughter have done to solve the puzzle of these broken headstones. As others have expressed, in just a couple of short generations people and their lives richly lived are all but a faint memory. At least with Find a Grave we can live on in cyber space. ❤️
Photographing headstones and recording them on findagrave is important work for the future. I belong to the NZ Remembrance Army and we clean up veterans graves. My team take a photo when we first find them and another after the restoration. In years to come, after my team and I are no longer doing the work, there will be a record for future researchers to find. I had long been a member of findagrave before I got into this work.
My sister & I, in working on family history, found that 2 of our great grandmother’s infant brothers had no headstones. One had a little metal one from the funeral home, the other nothing. They died at 1 month old in the late 1800s. We went on “No Grave Unmarked” & got small granite plaques & attached them to a piece of concrete (each one) that I got at Home Depot after I placed the concrete pieces in the ground. They are not fancy, but I personally feel much better knowing their graves are marked! Thank you to everyone that repairs or finds graves as Christine & her daughter have done.
Do you have pictures of the new markers? I’m interested in the process, as we have some unmarked too…
Great work you all on restoring so much family history! Bravo
The folks over at Epoxyworks have a neat article on Cemetery Monument Repairs that seems relevant.
https://www.epoxyworks.com/index.php/cemetery-monument-repairs/