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Folks in Indiana show their respect for history in a way that touches me deeply. I bet it's similar in your family.
Memories of the past are kept alive when Hoosiers visit town and church cemeteries on occasions like Memorial Day, placing flags or white or red peonies on a grave marker. In the summer, many cut black-eyed Susans or ox-eyed daisies for July 4.
Our record of the past is contained in the stories we tell about people we knew and the stories we hand down about the relatives we didn't know.
Fortunately, the tradition lives on through historical societies and genealogical groups.
The task of recording the past in detail usually falls on those local groups of men and women dedicated to preserving our heritage. These volunteers spend countless hours working to preserve details about those who came before us.
Our cultural landscape and historical record is enriched by what we know about our cemeteries and many are slowly being lost.
The Indiana General Assembly in the year 2000 authorized the Department of Natural Resources' Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology to locate and survey every cemetery and burial ground in the state.
With the raw data from the surveys, the DNR is creating a searchable database of all cemeteries and burial grounds in the state. Because the number of cemeteries is estimated to be around 125,000, DNR staff called on partners to help.
And the response has been overwhelming.
The partners include historical societies and museums, county historians, genealogical organizations, and preservationists.
On the state level, these contacts include the Indiana Genealogical Society, the Indiana Historical Society, the Indiana State Library Genealogy Division, the Indiana Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Committee, universities and archaeologists.
National partners include the African-American Genealogical Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, and Sons of the American Revolution.
But it is the members of the small genealogical groups and historical societies who have committed their time to the project.
Volunteers throughout Indiana started working in March to survey the cemeteries in their counties. With training from the DNR, these dedicated volunteers went to the cemeteries in their counties to complete surveys.
For instance, in my home county, Adams, a small group of genealogists have been working all summer. I'm not surprised. I learned the value of service and history from such people.
Their surveys are almost complete. In September, I am told that DNR staff will travel to the county and help complete the Global Position System readings for the cemeteries, thereby finishing the Adams County registry.
A small group can make a huge difference.
If you would like to participate in the cemetery registry project and preserve your local history, please contact the DNR's cemetery registry coordinator at 317-232-1646.
