Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Greetings!

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year from your grateful and appreciative president. I’ve never been involved with a harder working group of people. Working “for the dead” can seem at times, unrewarding. But if you’re like me, the before and after photos prove that it is not unrewarding work. Our reward is the completed projects and our bonuses, if you will, are the friendships we have forged and the camaraderie we have built by working together.

Here’s to another prosperous year. Thank You all for your dedication to the cause. I am very proud of what we have accomplished and hope that you are too.

All the Best, Marc Houseman

P.S. St. Francis Borgia Church sent our group a nice Christmas card with a generous donation enclosed!

Cheatham-Gibson-Coleman Recent Work Day

Photo by Susan. This is a shot of our most recent project, at the Cheatham-Gibson-Coleman Cemetery near Campbellton.

Saturday Nov. 20 - I.O.O.F. Washington

At the workday held last Saturday at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Washington our group was  teaching monument dealers from four states how to clean and repair old headstones!  For our efforts, we were treated to lunch and handed a generous donation. Our Thanks to Susan for the photo.

Let's Try Again Saturday the 13th

Have been keeping an eye on the forecast. Let’s try for another workday tomorrow (Saturday) at the Cheatham-Gibson-Coleman Cemetery. We made great progress last Saturday but as always, much remains to be completed! Hope to see you there.

DIRECTIONS To Saturday Work Site

From Washington take 100 west to Highway 185. Turn south onto 185. Go past KK (on the left at Campbellton School) and keep going through the “town” of Campbellton. Turn right on KK and go approximately 1 mile to #4195 Highway KK or fire #4302. Turn right into this driveway and it will lead you to Cheatham-Gibson-Coleman Cemetery.

Please Join Us!

Don't Forget! We are having our first work day at the new project site this Saturday beginning at 9:00 a.m. Lunch will be provided!

Cheatham-Gibson-Coleman Cemetery, Nov. 6

Our next big project is scheduled to begin on Saturday, November 6 at 9:00 a.m. and this will be a fun project. The Cheatham-Gibson-Coleman Cemetery contains about twelve headstones dating from the 1840s to the 1880s. Many are down or precariously leaning. All need cleaning and several need repair. Most will need resetting in bases, etc. This should be a fun project and not too labor intensive……..yeah right!

Vitt-Burckhardt Annual Clean-up

Wednesday, November 3 at 10:00 a.m. members will converge on the Vitt-Burchardt Cemetery near Campbellton for the annual clean-up. Bring trimmers, grubbing hoes, etc. for weed and small brush removal. There may or may not be an impromptu wienie roast!

St. Francis Borgia Finished

Visit Our Web Page Now Under Construction

This blog can be viewed by way of our web page. It is a work in progress. Check the link on the right of this page.

Evening at the Museum, Tuesday, Oct. 12th

The October Evening at the Museum program will be held Tuesday the 12th at 7:00 p.m. at the Washington Historical Society Museum, 4th and Market Streets in downtown Washington.

The program “Why Should I Care about Cemeteries?” will be presented by Marc Houseman, Museum Director and president of the Franklin County Cemetery Society. The presentation will focus on the work being doing by the cemetery society to preserve, record and restore cemeteries in the Franklin County area.

The program is free and open to the public. For more information you may call the historical society at 636-239-0280.

Finney Cemetery Wednesday the 6th

Reminder: Finney Cemetery, mowing and trimming Wednesday, October 6, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.

"Evening at the Museum"

The next "Evening at the Museum" at the Washington Historical Society will feature the work of our cemetery society. The program will be Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the museum at 4th and Market in downtown Washington.

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.

St. Borgia Work Schedule

At last evening’s meeting we set the following work dates for St. Francis Borgia Cemetery in Washington. We are hoping to finish up the Borgia project soon.

Saturday, October 2, 2010 beginning at 9:00 a.m. ‘til ?????
Thursday, October 7, 2010 beginning at 5:00 p.m. ‘til dark
Saturday, October 9, 2010 beginning at 9:00 a.m. ‘til ?????

We Need You Friday and Saturday!

We are looking forward to having a full working crew at St. Francis Borgia Cemetery in Washington this Friday beginning at 5:00 p.m. and Saturday beginning at 9:00 a.m. We need all of you to help in order to get this project knocked out. We will be assisted by members of church’s cemetery committee and others, so please plan to be there for a good ‘showing’.

New Date/Old Date--Work Days at St. Borgia

The re-schedule date is Friday, September 17 (with the following day, Saturday, remaining a work day as previously scheduled).

St. Francis Borgia Work Dates

The following work dates for St. Francis Borgia Cemetery in Washington have been set.

Thursday, September 9 from 5:00 p.m. to ?????
Saturday, September 18 from 9:00 a.m. to ?????

Thanks for your interest. Hope to see you there!

COOLER Weather! Our Friend

Autumn weather is just around the corner, it's time to get busy. We'll line up some projects at tonight's meeting. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

St. Francis Borgia Cemetery

A work day is scheduled at St. Francis Borgia Cemetery for Tuesday, August 3 beginning at 5:00 p.m. Let’s hope for cooler weather!

LAST MINUTE MEETING CHANGE

Our monthly meeting is being moved to this coming Tuesday, July 20, 2010. Hope this doesn't inconvenience anyone.

The Last,, LAST Time?

• With Marc's promises of the “last time”, please meet at Ebenezer “Stone” Church next Wednesday the 23rd at about 5:00 p.m. Allen made the last two bases and they are ready to be installed. There are a few other minor repairs and some general clean-up and we are good to go!

• After Stone Church, we will converge upon St. Francis Borgia Cemetery in Washington. We will be repairing and resetting several headstones there.

• Following that, we will restore the Cheatham-Gibson-Coleman Cemetery near Campbellton, a small family cemetery that is being cared for by the property owner but whose headstones need our attention. It is a neat, small graveyard and I know you’ll love it!

REMINDER: Our regular monthly meeting will be held Tuesday the 22nd at 7:00 p.m. at the museum.

Hope to see all of you on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Final Visit -- Ebenezer Stone Church!

Let’s head to Ebenezer “Stone” Church this coming Monday evening and try, try that is, to finish things up. Allen: Can you get the bases out there by Monday evening? Or bring them along if you can come out. There isn’t much left to do and with a nice turnout we can "get 'er done" in one final visit. Let’s meet around 5:00 p.m. or whenever you can get there.

ALERT: Highway Closed

Tonight is our work night at Ebenezer Stone Church. ALERT: Highway ‘E’ is closed about a mile or so out of New Haven, so if you normally take ‘E’ you will need to find another route. Let Marc know if you need help / directions.

Ebenezer “Stone” Church--Final Touch

At this week’s meeting, we set the following work date:
Ebenezer “Stone” Church: Tuesday, June 1 at 5:00 p.m. (or earlier if you have your own tools, etc.)
Hope to see you there! We are almost finished at Stone Church, so let’s get it knocked out and on to the next project.

Ebenezer “Stone” Church Revisit

The Franklin County Cemetery Society will be working at Ebenezer “Stone” Church Cemetery on Saturday, May 8 beginning at 9:00 a.m. Lunch will be provided by the church. (Subject to change due to bad weather)

This will be our second full day at "Stone" Church. It is a beautiful country setting and the rewards are instantaneous! Lots of work is yet to be done. Please join us!

PITTS CEMETERY UPDATE

GOOD NEWS at the Pitts Cemetery. The large tree by the Struchtemeyer stone has been removed, along with most of the concrete wall, with only a small section remaining. The stones can now be easily accessed, including one we attempted to dig and lift out of the soil. The cemetery has been mowed and the old fence removed. This was to make it easier to remove the concrete wall and the tree. It is so gratifying to see the interest taken in the cemetery.

Ebenezer “Stone” Church Reminder

This Saturday we are having a work and training day at Ebenezer “Stone” Church’s old cemetery beginning at 10:00 a.m. This will be a fun project and there is a lot to do. The good folks at the church will be providing lunch for us.

Directions: From Gerald, take Highway Y north about 6 ½ miles to Stone Church Road (left). Take that road about one mile. The church is on the right.

From New Haven, take Highway E south-westerly to Highway Y, turn left on Y and go about six miles to Stone Church Road (right). Then, same as above.

Hopefully all of you can make it. The weather forecast looks idyllic thus far. Let’s have a nice turnout for this one; there are potential new members to be had!

WORK DATES:

Ebenezer Stone Church (Gerald area), Saturday April 10, 10:00 a.m.
Straightening, cleaning, repair, resetting, possible brush removal, and training of church members.
Rain dates: April 17 and / or 24
Lunch provided by Ebenezer Stone Church!!!
Water available on site
Electricity may be available on site
This is our first “big” project for 2010; let’s have a great turnout and make some new friends!

Pitts Cemetery near Warrenton: On Saturday, May 1 at 9:00 a.m. we will be working on the Pitts Cemetery. This will be a training session for persons interested in forming the Warren County Cemetery Society. Carpooling and following-the-leader will be arranged at 8:00 a.m. that day at the WHS museum.

Pitts Cemetery is small with perhaps twenty headstones. Many just need a little straightening. We may be removing one or more trees, but there are only about three trees on the site. Several stones need resetting, but these can be handled by three or four of us.

There is one concrete wall surrounding two graves that we may be asked to remove. Plan on spending most of the day but with a good number of helpers, it will be about a half-day project.

CLEANUP AT BRYAN'S CEMETERY

Saturday, March 20, the Friends of Daniel Boone’s Burial Site in Missouri cleaned up the Bryan Cemetery (Marthasville). While attempting to reset the headstone for William A. F. Grabs, a search for the base ensued and it was found at a depth of about 16” in the earth. While digging it up, the original handmade headstone was found and it was a delightful discovery! According to Marc, the headstone was made of soapstone and is not recommended it be left in the elements.

Warren County Cemetery Society

The Warren County Cemetery Society has scheduled a workday at Pitts Cemetery, Friday March 19 at 6:00 p.m.

3rd Time Charm? Vitt-Burckhardt Cemetery

A workday is scheduled for Saturday, March 6 at 9:00 a.m. at the Vitt-Burckhardt Cemetery. The weather keeps interfering with this project. Hopefully, the tree can be cut down prior to this date.

2010 DUES REMINDER

If you have not sent in your 2010 dues, please do, so that we don’t have to mail out reminders. Due are $10 and may be sent to P. O. Box 146, Washington, MO 63090.
Thank You

John Maurath on Missouri Civil War Museum Board

John Maurath, of Sunset Hills, has been added to The Missouri Civil War Museum board of directors.

John is very proficient in the restoration of tombstones and monuments. He taught the first members of FCCS the proper techniques of cleaning, repairing and realigning tombstones. His advice was invaluable.

He is also a skilled family historian, researcher, and genealogist.

The Missouri Civil War Museum is a not-for-profit educational institution located at Jefferson Barracks. The purpose of the museum is to educate the public about the history of the American Civil War and its relevance to the state of Missouri. The museum is slated to open on April 12, 2011.

For more information about the Missouri Civil War Museum, please visit www.mcwm.org.

ITEMS ON OUR WISH LIST

Here is your chance to assist a volunteer group by making their job easier. Our dues income is not sufficient to cover the expense of the items on our wish list.

1) Enclosed trailer for transporting equipment
2) Drills
3) More volunteer laborers

Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Last Minute Cancellation!

Well, here we go again. Someone up there doesn’t want us to cut that tree down out at Vitt-Burckhardt Cemetery! I can’t imagine burning a very wet tree out in a very muddy field, etc. We need to get this done before the crops go in, but other than that we’ll just keep choosing dates until something works.

Order Your Tee-Shirts or Sweatshirts Now!

We need just a few more orders for t-shirts or sweatshirts for the Franklin County Cemetery Society. If interested in placing an order, please email our contact directly.

Vitt-Burckhardt Workday Resceduled

Notice / Reminder: We will be working at the Vitt-Burckhardt Cemetery on Saturday, February 6 beginning at 9:00 a.m. You may remember we canceled the last scheduled workday as it was a balmy 5 degrees!

Work-Day Canceled for January 9

Our scheduled work-day at the Vitt-Burckhardt Cemetery on Saturday, January 9 has been canceled. Our hardy group requested an alternate date due to the expected snow and severe cold.
A new work date will be chosen at the regular monthly meeting on January 19. Our president suspects a weather conspiracy, but hasn't figured it out yet.

Good Morning and Happy New Year!

A reminder that the FCCS will be having a work-day at the Vitt-Burckhardt Cemetery on Saturday, January 9 at 9:00 a.m. Help is needed with chainsaws this day, so bring one if you have one. We will remove and burn one medium-sized dead tree and also do some general clean-up of the cemetery, as needed. This may be an idea wienie roast day if anyone would like to volunteer to bring the hot dogs, etc.

Directions: From Washington take Highway 100 west to Highway KK. Turn south on KK to Sunny Road. Left on Sunny Road to first driveway on the right. Turn into the driveway and proceed to the end. The cemetery is about 100 yards from the end of the driveway out in a bean field.

Happy Holidays From Your FCCS President!

Happy Holidays!
I want all of you to know how much you are appreciated. The cemetery society is the realization of a life-long dream to locate and restore old cemeteries. It’s the greatest gift I could have ever received and it just keeps on giving. Plus, I have the added gift of having met all of you wonderful people. It’s a real pleasure to know and work with all of you. I’ve never met a more hard-working and talented group. On behalf of the dead in Franklin (and surrounding) counties, thank you all very much and have a blessed and safe holiday season. Sincerely, Your Humble President