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Mark Kreps' Collected Work Notes
- 2008 -
7-16-08
Workdays at the Heath Cemetery located off of
Proctor Road in Salem Township will be continued by the
Pioneer Cemetery Preservation Committee of the
Delaware County Historical Society. On Saturday
July 19, 2008 work will begin at 8:00 a.m.
and continue until we feel we need to go
home due to heat. This is a "special" extra work day
and there is a chance of rain. On Saturday
July 26, 2008 work will begin at 7:30 am.
On the agenda: securing a solid
foundation for the large tree stump marker belonging to
Peter Lutz, probing for the many missing fragments from
the Aldridge family markers.
We got rained out last Saturday.
Those who knew about it worked this past Monday,
July 14th. Thanks to Dave Parkison, Gary
Miller and my oldest son, Jason Kreps.
Mark Kreps
__________________
7-29-08
I want to let you know that there
continues to be progress out at the Heath Cemetery. We
have put in 225 work hours so far this year (and I want to
thank everyone). This doesn't include prep time for cemetery
workdays or office/computer related work. I want to thank all
the fine workers, including Jalena Norris who came with
Laura Schlegel this past week. Jalena lives in the old Samuel
Stewart home on Jones Road. Jalena, Laura and later
Karen Batty worked on cleaning the old tree marker of Peter
Lutz this past Saturday. It really is a beautiful work of
art! Gary Miller, Dave Parkison and I worked on
securing a new base for the tree marker. It took about 400 lbs of
cement! Connie, Pat, Karen (both Karen's that is), Kathy, Laura
and Jolena have worked so diligently on cleaning the markers and
it is certainly has begun to show!
There is so much
documentation that already exists on so many of the folks buried in
Heath Cemetery. I was reading the other day where Ralph
Heath donated the land for the Heath Cemetery and since he was a
carpenter, he made the coffins. Now there's a business plan!
August workdays will
be as follows; Saturday, August 9, starting at
7:30 a.m. (for those who can make that early fine, for
those who can't, I'll see you when I see you) and
Saturday, August 23 at 7:30 a.m. It appears that the
tripod needs to make an appearance at the Heath Cemetery to
straighten out some problems. It does work wonders.
Speaking of wonders, what an amazing story Dave Parkison can
tell about finding the broken scroll lettering that went with the
tree marker.
Hope to see you soon,
Mark Kreps
__________________
7-29-08
I want to let you know that there
continues to be progress out at the Heath Cemetery. We
have put in 225 work hours so far this year (and I want to
thank everyone). This doesn't include prep time for cemetery
workdays or office/computer related work. I want to thank all
the fine workers, including Jalena Norris who came with
Laura Schlegel this past week. Jalena lives in the old Samuel
Stewart home on Jones Road. Jalena, Laura and later
Karen Batty worked on cleaning the old tree marker of Peter
Lutz this past Saturday. It really is a beautiful work of
art! Gary Miller, Dave Parkison and I worked on
securing a new base for the tree marker. It took about 400 lbs of
cement! Connie, Pat, Karen (both Karen's that is), Kathy, Laura
and Jolena have worked so diligently on cleaning the markers and
it is certainly has begun to show! There is so much
documentation that already exists on so many of the folks buried in
Heath Cemetery. I was reading the other day where Ralph
Heath donated the land for the Heath Cemetery and since he was a
carpenter, he made the coffins. Now there's a business plan!
August workdays will
be as follows; Saturday, August 9, starting at
7:30 a.m. (for those who can make that early fine, for
those who can't, I'll see you when I see you) and
Saturday, August 23 at 7:30 a.m. It appears that the
tripod needs to make an appearance at the Heath Cemetery to
straighten out some problems. It does work wonders.
Speaking of wonders, what an amazing story Dave Parkison can
tell about finding the broken scroll lettering that went with the
tree marker.
Hope to see you soon,
Mark Kreps
__________________
8/10/08
Great work by
everyone. Very productive in that the tripod helped hoist the
Lutz markers (picture below).
They both need some more cleaning and some finishing up, but what an
improvement!
Thanks Pat for cleaning the
John McClintock marker. I checked the 1850, 1860 and
1870 census and found out he was 81 years old in 1879. He
actually came from North Carolina instead of Ohio like I thought.
Although I didn't wear a watch, Jim Wagner has been our time
keeping quartermaster. These times are for him and I believe they
are the best available estimation. On August 9, 2008
here is a list of individuals that participated:
1. Gary Miller 7:30 - 12:00 pm
2. Dave Parkinson
8:30-12 pm
3. Pat Barnet
7:30- 11:30 am
4. Karen Brown
8:00 - 12:00 pm
5. Mark Kreps
7:30 am -12:00 pm
6. Bob Good
8:00 - 12:00 pm.
Our next workday will
be on Saturday, August 23 starting at 7:30.
Thanks,
Mark Kreps
__________________
8-24-08
Work accomplished on August 23 included: using the tripod on a
Baxla and Samuel T. Jones marker, further cleaning on the
Mary Lutz and Peter Lutz tree marker, setting the Emma Lutz
marker, and using unique angled spacers.
Sameul T. Jones (1847- 1899, July 26) might have been a Civil
War soldier. The Mary Ann Lutz open bible marker was
cleaned up absolutely beautifully by Pat Barnet. The Peter
Lutz tree marker was further laboriously cleaned by Kathy
Moore and Laura Schlegel. A slotted base was poured
for the broken Elijah Alldridge marker. He died in
1834.
After we finished my son Jeremy and I brought the trailer to
Heath Cemetery. Many thanks to Jim Lee for
getting the new hitch installed. There was an old vandalized
marker that had been put in the trailer by the Center Township
Trustee, which I set outside at Heath. The trailer sits in
the shade around the corner which could be called "cemetery
ridge." It was swept out and cleaned as well as reorganized
inside.
Mark your
calendar:
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September workdays
at the Heath Cemetery will be as follows; Saturday, Sept
6, starting at 8:00 a.m. (for those who can make that
early fine, for those who can't, I'll see you when I see you),
and Saturday, Sept. 20 at 8:00 a.m.
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Thursday,
Sept. 18th at 6:30 pm at the DCHS,
120 East Washington Street, Muncie.
Karen Brown is working on two PowerPoint productions. One
for a September 11th DAR meeting, and one for the
Delaware County Commissioners. We will be asking the
Commissioners for $1.00 to be included in the Delaware County death
certificate fee, to be used toward the restoration of Pioneer
Cemeteries. I will be trying to contact Commissioner
John
Brooke who is also a attorney to schedule a meeting with him.
I'll let you know how that works out later.
Mark
Kreps
9-8-08
I want to thank Jim
Wagner who has faithfully kept track of all the work hours for
the group this summer. The work hours for the our group
is now at nearly 300. That amount doesn't include the office
hours, picture taking, research and power point makers.
The past September 6th
workday found Gary, Steve, Dave and I working primarily with the
tripod. The double stacked book at the top of Mary Heath's
marker was straightened and when the correct middle foundation
marker (HEATH in big letters) was placed it raised the entire marker
about another 7 inches or so to the heavens. We also worked on
the straightening of Martha Jones marker. It appears
James H. Jones really liked the name of his mother, Martha,
since he married two Martha's as well, as verified by the markers in
Heath Cemetery.
It was worker Steve
McDowell's birthday on September 6th, so we
appreciate his dedication on such an auspicious occasion. The
previous workday Dave Parkison carried away a souvenir of
sorts from the cemetery in that he caught a bad case of poison ivy.
I get it very easily myself, but carried no itchy tokens of
remembrance home with me.
We do wish Gina
Richardson and her family condolences in the passing of her
mother, Mardena Adams this past week. Mardena and her
husband, Rev. Billy Adams have been one of greatest couples
one could ever know. Always thinking of others in their
service to God. Gina is the genweb webmaster for Randolph
and Delaware County. In the past as time allowed, she and her
sons have worked with us on various preservation projects, for which
we are grateful.
After talking (actually
e-mailing) the Delaware County Commissioner John Brooke,
I found out that the PCPC first need to go the Delaware County
Board of Health to see if they would be willing to increase the
death certificates by $1 in Delaware County as a means of funding
for our pioneer cemetery work. I found out today that the
Heath Cemetery is 1.75 acres! I did get a drawing from the
Planning Commission (after visiting the Assessors office twice,
as well the Auditors office).
Our next workday will
be Saturday, September 20th at the Heath Cemetery
starting at 8:00 a.m. A little of everything still
needs to be done. It appears to be a beautiful time of the
year.
Mark
Kreps
4-4-09
Since I remembered there
was one area of Heath Cemetery that hasn't been probed (on
the northwest side), and have already established a relationship
with Salem Township Trustee Tommy Crawford, I asked Mr. Crawford for
a written permission to probe that area. We could use that
area for probe training.
Mr. Crawford put together
a letter giving us permission to probe, then dropped it off at my
house, Friday, April 3. I will send off my request to DNR
Jeannie Regan-Dinius to request probing training for our
group. More on her response later.
Since there are some
trees that need to be removed at Heath Cemetery (about
8), he asked me to go out and mark the trees in the northwest part
of the cemetery that needed cut down and he would ask Mark Adams
(Tiny Adams, son) caretaker to remove them. These trees if not
removed will in a few years topple the markers we straighted this
out last year. I went out on Friday to Heath and marked them.
Our first workday
will be Saturday, April 25 starting at 9:00 am. at the Heath
Cemetery. I have ordered some stacking compound and the mastico
epoxy.
For those who volunteered
(about 25 in all, as I count it) last year there should be a
Presidential Pin and certificate signed by former President
Bush, presented Saturday April 25 at Heath Cemetery. We
were accepted as a qualifying group (over 250 work hours) by
the US Presidential Volunteerism Council and the certificates
and pins are "in the mail." We especially want to thank the
youth and all who served last year. This should serve as an
inspiration to all.
Mark
Kreps
4-13-10
Workdays at
Heath Cemetery has been planned. It might be finished up soon! Even
sooner if you show up. This has been a 3 year effort.
The Heath Cemetery was the first official approval from the DNR in
receiving permission to probe in it.
Some of you are
interested in Sam Stewart's marker. We are presently working on it,
one piece at a time. No work day this Saturday (April 17).
Our next workday is Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 9:00 am. Then
on to the next workdays will be Saturday, May 8 and then again on
May 22, 2010 starting at 8:00 a.m. in May.
Great work from
Gary Miller and Pat Barnet this past Saturday. Five (5)
slots poured and set!! Sam Stewart's old broken marker parts
(4) cleaned as well as the Jane Goff marker whose lower half was
just found a few weeks ago. We will be setting markers in new
slots on April 24, weather permitting.
Hope to see you
soon,
Mark
Kreps
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