Restoring Forgotten Family Cemeteries

Bill King, David Smith, and Tim Batross of Madison County, Tennessee are doing what more local history buffs should do: cleaning and restoring long-forgotten family cemeteries. There are a lot of them in Tennessee and other parts of the country. I know of many cemeteries while doing genealogy or local history research that fall into this category. The tombstones are cracked and broken, the engravings wearing away from time and neglect.

Not too long ago, Old Salem Cemetery outside Jackson, Tennessee–where Adam Huntsman and his three wives are buried–was one of them, overgrown and neglected.

I encourage other local historians–myself included–to take the initiative and save these cemeteries for future generations.

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