Found a headstone

[Bruce Vail]

Check the laws of your state before doing anything.

Ah, good advice.

Also, the sole gravestone should send up red flags that there may be other unmarked graves nearby.

 

[kitty o'cairre]

are there any desenadants left i wonder? surely they are... ground penatrating radar is another option check with an vet organaiztion there are so many right options Im excited to see where you go from here Keep us all posted on the events that will follow,,
thank you
kitty

 

[John Winn]

As @Rebforever said, you need to check the law in your state before you do anything. Being familiar with cemetery laws in the west, I can say that it's likely you wouldn't be allowed to disinter any remains without a court order but you probably could do whatever you wanted on the surface (e.g. plow it or build on it). Typically, stones are the private property of whoever paid for them and that ownership transfers with the property when they're on private land that isn't a designated cemetery. So, owners of property with old family burials can usually remove the stones. However, military stones are the property of the federal government and that ownership does not transfer. Thus, should you choose to remove one of those you'd have to get hold of the Veteran's Administration to dispose of it in order to be strictly legal (although in practice I doubt anybody's going to be looking very closely).

You can often see slight depressions with old graves as the ground will tend to sink a little when the coffin finally rots away, but that's not always the case (also depends somewhat on soil type). Those can be hard to see if there's heavy grass or other vegetation. You might want to give the site a close examination.

Should you decide to remove the stone (and keep it somewhere safe or turn it over the the VA) it'll be a slab between 36 and 42 inches long and weigh somewhere between 140 and 150 pounds. Marble is fairly soft so be prepared to lift and move it carefully. If it were me, I'd also make sure I had the exact location of the potential burial (e.g. get a GPS reading, make a map) before removing the stone.

If it's not in your way and you don't mind looking at it then just leave it be. It's not that dirty or covered in moss or lichen (yet) so I'd probably not clean it. Should it become in need of cleaning find out how to do that before you go at it. There's only a few things other than water you should ever put on a stone (i.e. don't use household cleaners) and pressure washing or using hard brushes can be damaging, too.

I'd be doing some research to try and find out as much about the man named of the stone as you can. There might even be an obituary or newspaper article from the day. Local genealogical or historical societies can often help with that.

Good luck and do let us know what you decide to do.

 

[CowCavalry]

Looks like someone has been spraying weedkiller around the stone?

 

[Rebforever]

If you have the time, find the family. They more than likely will let you represent them for a new stone from the VA. At no cost to you.
Those new stones are 3-4 inches thick and 4ft long and the one I dealt with was 240 lbs. But beautiful.

 

[3rdIndianaCav]

As @Rebforever said, you need to check the law in your state before you do anything. Being familiar with cemetery laws in the west, I can say that it's likely you wouldn't be allowed to disinter any remains without a court order but you probably could do whatever you wanted on the surface (e.g. plow it or build on it). Typically, stones are the private property of whoever paid for them and that ownership transfers with the property when they're on private land that isn't a designated cemetery. So, owners of property with old family burials can usually remove the stones. However, military stones are the property of the federal government and that ownership does not transfer. Thus, should you choose to remove one of those you'd have to get hold of the Veteran's Administration to dispose of it in order to be strictly legal (although in practice I doubt anybody's going to be looking very closely).

You can often see slight depressions with old graves as the ground will tend to sink a little when the coffin finally rots away, but that's not always the case (also depends somewhat on soil type). Those can be hard to see if there's heavy grass or other vegetation. You might want to give the site a close examination.

Should you decide to remove the stone (and keep it somewhere safe or turn it over the the VA) it'll be a slab between 36 and 42 inches long and weigh somewhere between 140 and 150 pounds. Marble is fairly soft so be prepared to lift and move it carefully. If it were me, I'd also make sure I had the exact location of the potential burial (e.g. get a GPS reading, make a map) before removing the stone.

If it's not in your way and you don't mind looking at it then just leave it be. It's not that dirty or covered in moss or lichen (yet) so I'd probably not clean it. Should it become in need of cleaning find out how to do that before you go at it. There's only a few things other than water you should ever put on a stone (i.e. don't use household cleaners) and pressure washing or using hard brushes can be damaging, too.

I'd be doing some research to try and find out as much about the man named of the stone as you can. There might even be an obituary or newspaper article from the day. Local genealogical or historical societies can often help with that.

Good luck and do let us know what you decide to do.

DISCLAIMER: I am not licensed to practice law in the State of Missouri and the information supplied is merely informational and should not be relied upon as legal advice.
Missouri Revised Statutes
Title XII PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
Chapter 214
214.131. Tombstones, fences, destroying or mutilating in abandoned family or private cemetery, penalty — abandoned or private burying ground, defined. — Every person who shall knowingly destroy, mutilate, disfigure, deface, injure or remove any tomb, monument or gravestone, or other structure placed in any abandoned family cemetery or private burying ground, or any fence, railing, or other work for the protection or ornamentation of any such cemetery or place of burial of any human being, or tomb, monument or gravestone, memento, or memorial, or other structure aforesaid, or of any lot within such cemetery is guilty of a class A misdemeanor. For the purposes of this section and subsection 1 of section 214.132, an "abandoned family cemetery"or "private burying ground" shall include those cemeteries or burying grounds which have not been deeded to the public as provided in chapter 214, and in which no body has been interred for at least twenty-five years.

 

[Patrick H]

Having seen a bunch of old family cemeteries, I'd bet there are more stones present on this property. However, I imagine they have toppled over and been covered with an inch or two of soil and sod. I can show you places in two otherwise well-maintained cemeteries here in my home town where stones have fallen and been partially covered or fully covered. It is common to see nearly buried stones in country cemeteries, and I always wonder how many more are completely buried.

 

[Rebforever]

DISCLAIMER: I am not licensed to practice law in the State of Missouri and the information supplied is merely informational and should not be relied upon as legal advice.
Missouri Revised Statutes
Title XII PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
Chapter 214
214.131. Tombstones, fences, destroying or mutilating in abandoned family or private cemetery, penalty — abandoned or private burying ground, defined. — Every person who shall knowingly destroy, mutilate, disfigure, deface, injure or remove any tomb, monument or gravestone, or other structure placed in any abandoned family cemetery or private burying ground, or any fence, railing, or other work for the protection or ornamentation of any such cemetery or place of burial of any human being, or tomb, monument or gravestone, memento, or memorial, or other structure aforesaid, or of any lot within such cemetery is guilty of a class A misdemeanor. For the purposes of this section and subsection 1 of section 214.132, an "abandoned family cemetery"or "private burying ground" shall include those cemeteries or burying grounds which have not been deeded to the public as provided in chapter 214, and in which no body has been interred for at least twenty-five years.

It is a touchy situation all around. If it was me, which one was enough for me, try to find the next of kin. There are some good folks here that can be very helpful in doing this.

 

[Rebforever]

Something here might interest you.

Hensley - U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 - Ancestry.com

 

[John Winn]

DISCLAIMER: I am not licensed to practice law in the State of Missouri and the information supplied is merely informational and should not be relied upon as legal advice.
Missouri Revised Statutes
Title XII PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
Chapter 214
214.131. Tombstones, fences, destroying or mutilating in abandoned family or private cemetery, penalty — abandoned or private burying ground, defined. — Every person who shall knowingly destroy, mutilate, disfigure, deface, injure or remove any tomb, monument or gravestone, or other structure placed in any abandoned family cemetery or private burying ground, or any fence, railing, or other work for the protection or ornamentation of any such cemetery or place of burial of any human being, or tomb, monument or gravestone, memento, or memorial, or other structure aforesaid, or of any lot within such cemetery is guilty of a class A misdemeanor. For the purposes of this section and subsection 1 of section 214.132, an "abandoned family cemetery"or "private burying ground" shall include those cemeteries or burying grounds which have not been deeded to the public as provided in chapter 214, and in which no body has been interred for at least twenty-five years.

I'm not an attorney either and know nothing about the law in Missouri but, your citation not withstanding, it could be that if you actually own the cemetery that chapter might not apply. That's commonly the case out here.

 

[NDR5thNY]

I'm not an attorney either and know nothing about the law in Missouri but, your citation not withstanding, it could be that if you actually own the cemetery that chapter might not apply. That's commonly the case out here.

I found a Cager Hensley Co B 24 th Mo on ancestry. Did not have a date of death . Buried in Stratford, Mo.

 

[NDR5thNY]

I found a Cager Hensley Co B 24 th Mo on ancestry. Did not have a date of death . Buried in Stratford, Mo.

Check with vital records in Mo. I believe you can find date of death.

 

[drezac]

If you have a university nearby with an Archaeology program, they may be willing to come out as a class project and determine if there are more graves. When my son was at Hocking College in Ohio, the Archaeology program had a project where they were restoring an old cemetery. His class worked with ground penetrating radar to map out where the graves were.

 

[Mrs. V]

I remember as a kid going to Fort Scott for two weeks..we used to visit an family cementary on the grounds, tell ghost stories and really not sleep that night! Now I wonder how old those grave stones must have been..And I am sad that we did not give them the respect owed.

 

[Pete Longstreet]

Honestly, I would try every attempt to leave it there. He's been buried there for possibly close to 150 years. What are you using the land for... Farming? Would it be possible to work around the headstone? Maybe there was a specific reason he was buried in that exact location. But if you decide to go forward with removal, I would definitely consult your local authorities to get clear and concise Information on what you can and can't do by law.

 

[Wawaz]

Looks like someone has been spraying weedkiller around the stone?

No, I just surrounded it with hay, so wet grass do not grow around the stone and don't make any more damage to it

 

[Wawaz]

Honestly, I would try every attempt to leave it there. He's been buried there for possibly close to 150 years. What are you using the land for... Farming? Would it be possible to work around the headstone? Maybe there was a specific reason he was buried in that exact location. But if you decide to go forward with removal, I would definitely consult your local authorities to get clear and concise Information on what you can and can't do by law.

I would leave it and it wasn't plan to remove it. I just want to save it anyhow. It's a HISTORY I dont want letters to keep disappearing, I just don't know what should I do to save it at least in the same condition as it is right now

 

[Wawaz]

Having seen a bunch of old family cemeteries, I'd bet there are more stones present on this property. However, I imagine they have toppled over and been covered with an inch or two of soil and sod. I can show you places in two otherwise well-maintained cemeteries here in my home town where stones have fallen and been partially covered or fully covered. It is common to see nearly buried stones in country cemeteries, and I always wonder how many more are completely buried.

I would say if it is a family cemetery it was very strange spot choosen. In the middle of the field? All family cemeteries I saw either close to the road in the front or somewhere in the private corner of the property under trees or something, often fenced

 

[Gflintham1790]

Just a note that post-war tombstones with a shield are for Union veterans, Confederate veterans have a Maltese cross with wreath inside. see a lot of these in North Georgia in small country church cemeteries and family graveyards with both veterans. These marked tombstones were provided for by the US government.

 

[Story]

Do you know what that mean? Company B? 24th missouri infantry?

Reach out to these guys, they might have some input https://www.24thmissouri.org/