Grave Marker Care

Cemeteries dot the map; go for a twenty-minute drive, and I promise you will see at least five cemeteries. Many of these cemeteries have quality lawn care services to maintain grass and weeds. However, churches and landowners do not always have the time or funds to sustain the physical stones that represent our ancestors. Groundskeepers are typically too busy to do anything other than tending to the grounds; stone maintenance and care are not even their responsibility.

So, this responsibility falls on who? Us. The descendants, the families, the inspired, the good-hearted. We should, out of respect for our ancestors, want to honor them by, at the bare minimum, keeping their grave markers clean and presentable. You don't like a dirty windshield or a messy sink. I bet your phone screen is cleaned. I'm sure your lawn is presentable. Our ancestors have done their fair share, time to give back. The deceased are those who founded this country, started families, served in our military and protected us. The least we can do is preserve their stones.

[--- My Mission ---]

I plan to help preserve stones in the Central Pennsylvania area. If someday I recruit other individuals interested in helping, this radius may grow. But for now, it is just me, and it is a great honor to do it! My preservation goals involve three separate steps:

Cleaning... To start, I clean the stone using ONLY SAFE methods, chemicals, supplies, and tools. Absolutely NO harmful chemicals, pressure washers, or metal instruments touch a stone I work on. I use D/2 Biological Solution and water as cleaning agents, soft bristle brushes, and gentle plastic scrapers. That's it. D/2 Biological Solution is meant to remove the natural growth on stone. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, and National Park Service recommend D/2 Biological Solution following proper handling and technique. I abide by their recommendations and rules.

Resetting... The next step in aiding these old stones is resetting: ensuring they are straight, even, level, and in their rightful position. Too many stones are leaning at over 45-degree angles and are viable to snap and break in half. Some stones are not in as much danger and are just sinking to one side a bit. I also come across too many stones that have fallen, are being mowed around, are stacked up in a pile with other stones (horrifying...), or are buried behind their base (which honestly is a decent temporary solution for most groundskeepers). These stones can be put back up in their proper position through careful practices, techniques, patience, and care.

Repair... This is the hardest step, as it involves knowledge of the stone material being worked on, expertise, and even more patience than putting the stone back in position. Cleaning is already time-consuming, resetting even more, and repair can take days. As of right now, my immediate plans are to focus on cleaning and resetting first, then prioritizing only the worst of the damaged that require repair. At least until I find more time or end up recruiting other volunteers.

[--- How You Can Help ---]

If you are interested in helping me on this path of honoring our ancestors, this GoFundMe is all about helping me give back. I am taking my own time, as rare as the free moments are, and spending them in cemeteries. My time is free; it is an honor to do this. What isn't free are the supplies:

>>> D/2 Biological Solution: $50 per gallon. (Westport, Massachusetts, USA!)

>>> Soft Bristle Brushes: $5-$15 per brush, depending on the size and bristle type. (Magnolia Brush Manufacturers, Clarksville, Texas, USA!)

>>> Plastic Scrapers: $2-5 per scraper, depending on size

>>> Made in USA American Flags: $2 per flag, after shipping (a bit less since I tend to order in bulk). (New Stanton, Pennsylvania, USA!)

>>> PVC Flag Holders: $5-$6 per 10ft piece, which I cut to 15" each, totaling eight holders per 10ft piece. (Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA!)

>>> Water: $1 per gallon, which you would think water is free, but actually, cleaning stones should be done with potable (aka. drinking) water to avoid any minerals in the water that could grow bacteria on the stone it is unfamiliar with. (Premium Waters Inc, Riverside, Missouri, USA!)

>>> "Business" Cards: $10 per 100 cards. While this is not a business (I am not making any profit whatsoever from this), I plan to leave a small "business" card at every stone I work on. This card explains who I am, what I did, the supplies used, and the reassurance that the stone I worked on was handled with the utmost care and attention. Imagine this entire post in one small card. I will even include this GoFundMe address on the card to help spread the word!

As you can see, that all adds up. The larger quantities I order, the cheaper the cost. If you are interested in supporting this kind of work, helping me afford the supplies goes a long way. I have a family and bills just like you and everyone else, so I get it. Every little bit helps me give back to our ancestors.

[--- About Me ---]

My name is Jacob. I am just a guy interested in preserving our history in our nation's cemeteries by cleaning, resetting, and repairing grave markers in the area. I have loved genealogy and cemeteries since a young boy, and now life has given me a few moments here and there to give back to those I walk by every time I visit a cemetery. I am genuinely excited when I drive past a graveyard and see every stone straight as an arrow. This, to me, shows that someone cares. Many may not, but at least one person out there is like me. I am a father, husband, full-time employee, pet owner, hobbyist, and more. My free moments might not be plentiful, but I like to do historically related projects with the few I have. My own ancestors' stones, all the way back to the American Revolutionary War, are under my care. I would like to add other families' ancestral stones to that list.

[--- Updating You ---]

While this is a relatively new undertaking, I am starting with GoFundMe. Suppose this were to accelerate to the point where more people are taking interest and start donating to help with supplies. In that case, I was considering creating other social media pages to help promote (Instagram or YouTube, for example). I plan to take photos of my progress, and I will certainly consider taking video if time permits and is manageable. I believe having a platform such as that to allow for commenting and sharing would be wise to gauge your feedback and interests and help promote the mission of preserving the stones safely and effectively. Since GoFundMe is new to me, I picked a number in terms of the dollar amount associated with this project. For all I know, I need only a small portion of that or five times that amount. I assume it depends on how long I can do this and how many stones I can work with. This platform, as well as any other platform I may start, will forever be a developing and ongoing process.

[--- Thank You ---]

As a final comment, I want to thank you for not only reading this entire page but also considering donating to help fund the supplies. If you do choose to donate, it is overwhelmingly appreciated. To start, all my expenses will be entirely out of pocket, and I plan to do this for as long as I can comfortably afford it. The more good-hearted people choose to donate, the longer I can continue to work in cemeteries.

The photo attached here is from 2017. These are my own ancestors' grave markers that were leaning. After a day of careful work, they were reset to be straight once again. As of right now, 2022, they still look like the photo on the right. They have since been cleaned, but not by me. This caused me to contact the church and learn who cleaned them and what procedures they used. Fortunately, D/2 Biological Solution was used, following all proper procedures. However, it prompted me to create the "business" card idea to make people aware of what supplies I used. Peace of mind. These grave markers here started it all.