Visiting historic cemeteries with Civil War burials has been an interest of mine for about 6.5 years now. Up until last year, it was an activity that usually happened in conjunction with other scheduled activities/events. As with many things, that changed last year. When the Covid-19 lockdown began here in late March 2020, it included the closing of National Military Parks, State Battlefield/Battleground Parks, park Visitor Centers and Museums and the cancellation of in-person Civil War Round Table and SCV meetings, conferences, symposiums, reenactments, relic shows etc. Within a handful of weeks of lockdown, I got antsy and looked for ways to get boots on the ground. The most obvious solution was visiting local historic cemeteries no more than an hour drive away. It had to be local at first because places with public restrooms were closed too.
I used FindAGrave.com and Ancestry to find local cemeteries with Civil War burials and work up short biographies of the soldiers. Around June last year, I re-subscribed to fold3.com to have access to more digitized military records. I had allowed that subscription to lapse a couple of years earlier, thinking I had gotten everything I could use out of it. As last year progressed, I started putting grave marker flags out at veterans gravesites at most of the cemeteries. I buy Confederate grave marker flags from the SCV and buy US grave marker flags a dozen at a time at a local grocery store around Memorial Day and July 4th. The flags are $0.75 apiece at the SCV. The US flags are $0.50 apiece. I later found a supplier for some well made state grave marker flags and buy Texas and Alabama flags from them for $1.50 apiece. I also have a few Medal Of Honor Recipient grave marker flags that I ordered from The American Legion. About midyear last year I also became interested in cleaning gravestones and corresponded with a gentleman I know who is a cemetery caretaker and learned the do's and don'ts of gravestone cleaning and what to use and not to use. I clean veterans' gravestones and their wives' gravestones whenever possible.
Texas is a treasure chest for those with my passion. The number of rural historic cemeteries seems to be endless. Many city cemeteries in smaller towns and cities are great too. I'm usually the only one there at most of these cemeteries. That's one reason I stay away from the mega-cemeteries too generally. Too much ground to cover and too many other folks visiting.
I think I'm gonna post about it here. If others are interested in it...great. If not, that's okay too. I enjoy it.
I used FindAGrave.com and Ancestry to find local cemeteries with Civil War burials and work up short biographies of the soldiers. Around June last year, I re-subscribed to fold3.com to have access to more digitized military records. I had allowed that subscription to lapse a couple of years earlier, thinking I had gotten everything I could use out of it. As last year progressed, I started putting grave marker flags out at veterans gravesites at most of the cemeteries. I buy Confederate grave marker flags from the SCV and buy US grave marker flags a dozen at a time at a local grocery store around Memorial Day and July 4th. The flags are $0.75 apiece at the SCV. The US flags are $0.50 apiece. I later found a supplier for some well made state grave marker flags and buy Texas and Alabama flags from them for $1.50 apiece. I also have a few Medal Of Honor Recipient grave marker flags that I ordered from The American Legion. About midyear last year I also became interested in cleaning gravestones and corresponded with a gentleman I know who is a cemetery caretaker and learned the do's and don'ts of gravestone cleaning and what to use and not to use. I clean veterans' gravestones and their wives' gravestones whenever possible.
Texas is a treasure chest for those with my passion. The number of rural historic cemeteries seems to be endless. Many city cemeteries in smaller towns and cities are great too. I'm usually the only one there at most of these cemeteries. That's one reason I stay away from the mega-cemeteries too generally. Too much ground to cover and too many other folks visiting.
I think I'm gonna post about it here. If others are interested in it...great. If not, that's okay too. I enjoy it.