“Cemetery of convenience”, now that is a phrase I never heard before last night at the Elkhart County Historical Museum.
Jeannie
Regan-Dinius, Director of Special Initiatives for the Indiana Division of Historic
Preservation and Archaeology, presented a very informative lecture on
cemeteries, graves, the histories of such and some legal does and don’ts.
It was
obvious that most of the folk in attendance were either cemetery historians or
genealogical hobbyists. I am neither. I like history in general. And Jeannie
did an excellent job of presenting her information such that a person of casual
interest could understand and have their interests and musings stirred.
And stirred
mine were.
A
“cemetery of convenience” would hardly happen today. They happened during early
days of exploration, railroad laying, or other large work efforts where people
were far from civilization yet had to provide for a decent burial of someone
deceased. In other words, they got buried where they died.
Nineteen
people showed up for this meeting. Jeannie discussed history, preservation attempts,
and legal matters regarding cemeteries. When asked questions, she immediately
had a relevant and well informed answer. Of course she should, she has been
doing this since 2002.
Always
articulate in her language and descriptions, she held everyone’s attention for
a little more than an hour. I am a preacher, and after fifteen minutes, I can
see that I’ve lost people.
Jeannie did an excellent job.
You can find out more about cemeteries at http://in.gov/dnr/historic/
