Welcome!

It seems that a love for cemeteries can be cultivated as a natural byproduct of researching your family ties.  For some, it's also the quiet solitude that can be found by walking among the beautiful works of art that were created over time, which mark the final resting place of those who have lived, loved, and made their unique footprint on this earth.  I can't help but wonder about the lives of those who are now forever silent, and the stories that lay quietly beneath the ground.  Even more intriguing to me are the bare patches, where there is no stone to indicate the end of that person's journey.  Those, who, for various reasons, do not have a stone placed above their head, but who are just as important as all of those who have one.  I strive to make sure that none of them are truly forgotten.

Have you read the poem, "The Dash" by Linda Ellis?  If not, I recommend it. 

This love of cemeteries and respect for those who no longer have a voice, has led many to want to get involved in cleaning and repairing headstones, restoring the grounds, and tidying things up a bit.  With the best of intentions in mind, unfortunately, there were irreversible damages done.  Without stopping to research and find credible sources, stones have been bleached or marred - "repairs" have been done that only serve to cause further damage.  Stones have been moved away from the original gravesite, and countless other well-intentioned, but ill-informed acts, have led more to destruction than preservation.  People have taken records that are not theirs to take, making documentation another nightmare.  

My hope is that this is a forum to discuss the lives of those who have gone before us, the correct methods for preservation and restoration of historic cemeteries, and those issues which are important to you about the cemeteries in Yuba County - one of the original counties in California.