Turn of the century graveyard

[Monty]

I went to a small graveyard where my great grandparents are buried today . Did not go into the graveyard but went around the outside perimeter fence. The oldest grave is dated from 1830's to 1896 of which there were 3 or 4. Several from the late 1800's through the 1920's on up to the present. I looked for any civil war graves but didn't find any so designated. I had several solid hits but found the ground so hard I couldn't dig it with the gear I had with me. Most of the hits were below 6" deep. Dug a few showing 4" or less but they were trash. No ralin for several weeks and the ground is as hard as concrete! The cemetary is maintained by a private committee of individuals of whom some are my relatives. I talked to one elderly man of whom was not a relative and he asked why I wasn't going inside. I told him I just wouldn't be comfortable doing that and he said , "I don't think anyone would care." He said I might find some old pennies because that's all any of them ever had! Well, I care and just don't think it would be moraly proper. I will go back when we get some rain so I can dig with regular hand tools.

 

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[GarrettDealer]

At times ESPECIALLY with older cemeteries the big plot of graves might have been second and there are at times graves located outside of the cemeteries supposed boundaries . Just FYI .

 

[Monty]

I thought of that but it's bounded on two sides with paved roads and a wall on a third side. If there were any graves outside the boundary I would expect it to be on the one side where there is an open field. I won't be digging deep enough to hit any caskets anyway and surely not on the roads. I will work along the outside of the concrete wall as I have found lots of coins right next to walls.

 

[alabamadan]

Here's something I'll share with y'all. My old family cemetery is on top of an old hill way out in the country. The graves there date to the early 1800s. I went there about 20 years with my Granddaddy and he pointed to a spot just outside the clearing and said, "That's where the old home place stood."

Remember, alot of these old family cemeteries started in someone's back yard. It's on my list of places to hit.

 

[Monty]

My Grandmother's old home place is somewhere near the cemetary but I don't remember where. She pointed it out to me years ago as we drove by. They have built a new highway through there and the cemetary is on the old highway. Someone told me the old house had been torn down but it had a storm cellar as most old places did and several out buildings. There should still be some traces of the old homeplace if I could locate it. Grandma' died in 2003 at the age of 102, just a few days shy of her 103rd birthday!

 

[alabamadan]

First let me say how great it was that your Grandma lived to be 102! My granddaddy is 87 years old and doing well, as well as an 87 year old man can. He promised me on the phone yesterday that he'd take me to the spot where he was born. He said the house is gone, but we should be able to find foundation stones or something. He said he take me around to all the houses he grew up in.

In this case I'm exicited about so many things; Spending time with my Granddaddy, Learning these historical things so I can carry it on to my children, and locating spots to treasure hunt!

 

[rvbvetter]

Was your grandmothers home within eyesight of the cemetary? If so and you remember the general direction. west, east so on. You might be able to walk that direction with detector until it sounds off as if you hit a debri field. Not knowing how it is there, or if it's all built up now. This may not be practical. In that case, disavow any knowledge of what i just suggested. HH

 

[alabamadan]

Great idea! That's all I know of the old cemetery house is the general direction. From what I understand it was all logs with a dirt floor. I wish I could find some old topo maps of the area.