How to get help and or funding for cemetery restorations

Question

My cousin Belle and I are working together to restore a couple of our family cemeteries. We are trying  to Figure out how to get people more involved. We have never done this before and are off to a good start but we need help. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Some of the Surnames are: Wilson, Duncan, Dale, Johnson Baugus, Leggett, Ishmael, Summay, Caywood, Bryant, Turner, Miles, Judge, Wills and Lawwill to name a few from Wilson. 

Her and a few other relatives have worked on The Wilson Cemetery the last 2 week-ends. 

Our hope is to restore it and then move onto the smaller yet older cemetery that is literally in walking distance from the first one. It is called Bunker Hill Burial Ground.

There are Military Hero’s and Masons in both cemeteries. 

They are located in Montgomery County Kentucky. There are 128 graves listed so far in Wilson and 59 in Bunker Hill. 

Answer 1

Talk to the property owner of the cemeteries. See also if the nearest town or city government would be interested in a partnership in preservation. An endowment of some kind will go a long way toward ensuring continued maintenance.

Answer 2

I would look for genealogy groups or societies in the area and reach out to them for help.

Comments

I connected the local history museum and the closest mason lodge. Fingers crossed.

Answer 3

Great project Pam,

Here is what one group is doing for the Old Saltsburg Cemetery in Saltsburg, PA: Restoring the Old Saltsburg Cemetery

Wish I still had the news article but a few years ago a local Boy Scout Troop helped to clean up an older cemetery for I believe their Community Badge. Also added data to Find A Grave for a Technology Badge.  Might try you local Scouts, Boy or Girl.

Fund raising.  Maybe a Facebook Page like the group above. Create a Non-Profit Organization in your state and start a PayPal Fund Raising link.  PayPal Fundraising for Non Profits

All the best in your endeavor.

Comments

GoFundMe is another crowd-funding site that seems to be pretty good.

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Awesome Thanks.

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Had a little time, in the middle of making Hungarian Mushroom Soup and this is a 25 minute simmer time. LOL

Here are a few articles regarding older cemetery restoration.

Cub Scouts ID vets' markers at Scottdale cemeteries

It was Cub Scouts not Boy Scouts like I thought.

Apollo Cemetery cleanup set; Scout to finish cleaning almost 100 veteran tombstones

Poke Run church to install new headstones for Revolutionary War soldiers

If you can verify a veterans service and place of burial, the Department of Veterans Affairs will supply new headstones for free.  You have to pay to get them placed though.  Get a local Veterans Organization involved and they'll probably fund that.

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I contacted the boys and girls scout groups in the area.

My cousin is a member of DAR and she is working in the military part. We gave locked 14 vets so far and only one has a marker.