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Archiver > NJHUNTER > 2001-06 > 0992007606


From: Sharon Colquhoun <>
Subject: [NJHUNTER] Important!! Cemeteries (more!)
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2001 06:40:06 -0700 (PDT)


This is yet another article from The Star Ledger of
June 7, 2001. I'll was only going to give you the
relevant parts as I don't feel like typing it all out
but as I began I decided it was ALL relevant! It was
written by Ed Johnson.


HISTORICAL GROUP AND SHERIFF'S OFFICE TEAM UP TO
PRESERVE COUNTIES' PAST

At first glance, petty lawbreakers and amateur
historians wouldn't seem to have a lot in common. In
Suissex and Somerst counties, they're working side by
side.

In Sussex County, inmates from the county jail help
the local historical society preserve historic
graveyards and in some cases make possible the
cataloging of the genealogical data they contain. In
Somerset, juveniles who have committed minor offenses
are involved.

For Bob Longcore, president of the Sussex County
Historical Society, it began when he decided to search
out his own roots.

"I was appalled by the condition of the graves I
found," he said. He sought the help of the historical
society and eventually hit upon the idea of prisoner
labor.

"It just worked out that our sheriff, Bob Untig, had
started two programs, the Sheriff's Labor Assistance
Program, or SLAP, and the Sheriff's Work Assistance
Program, or SWAP," he explained. "They said they were
available to work in our communities, so I put
together a slide show and went to see him."

As it happened, the sheriff was looking for a way to
put his prisoners to work without running afoul of
local labor unions or workers.

"We were looking for the kind of work that had not
been done before, or would not be done if our program
wasn't there," Untig said. "Bob came with his
proposal and it was an excellent opportunity to give
the inmates a chance to be part of the solution
instead of the problem. A lot of them began to show
pride in being a part of something that was restoring
history. As far as I'm concerned, that's
rehabilitation."

It's truly the grunt work of history, Longcore said.
"We're not talking about weed whackrs and lawn
mowers," he added. "Clearing these cemeteries
required chainsaws." In addition to restoring
cemeteries, boththe prisoners and the officers who
guarded them became interested in learning more.

"
At least five of the officers have become dedicated
genealogists and many of the inmates had the chance to
research names they saw and find a part of their
personal history. Some actually made phone calls to
relatives and came up with information I could never
have found." Longcore said.

In Somerset County, Allan P. Duncan heads the Station
House Adjustment Program, which provides a nonjudicial
avenue for young people who have committed minor
offenses.

"The program allows the police to send young offenders
to us for community service," he explained. "We
decided to do something creative. Most of the time
community service is just picking up trash along the
roadsides. We wanted to do something that would bve
worthwhile and interesting."

A suggestion came from some county park rangers who
mentioned an old cemetery that had been abandoned for
more than 100 years.

"It was completely overgrown," Duncan said. "There
were tombstones from the 1700s, they were broken and
covered in mud. I was completely blown away. I just
fell in love with the place."

Working Saturdays between 9am and 2 pm, Duncan and his
team of eight to 10 charges began chopping, clearing
and recording what they found. Using video cameras
and digital photography, they began to record a
previously unknown history of Somerset County's early
settlers.

Technical help came from Hank Smith of the Somerset
County Historical Society. "He came out to guide us,"
Duncan explained. "He taught us to never, never move
a stone, how to properly transcribe information and
how to do rubbings."

The work isn't easy. "When I say the area is
overgrown, I mean in many of these cemeteries you
can't even see the stones. In one place we had over
200 trees to cut," he said. "But the history we
learned. I never knew that Somerset County was second
only to Bergen County in the number of slaves we had
here. The kids were fascinated by the old stories and
the old histories. They asked how come they never
learned this in school."

They've done eight cemeteries so far, Duncan said, but
the work may stop there. In September the federal
grant that funds the program will run out. Whether it
will be renewed is an open question, he said. Duncan
wonders what impact that will have on the youth.

"A lot of them learned a new respect for these
places," he said. "It's the kind of thing that
prevents vandalism."

=====
Harry and Sharon Moore Colquhoun
Belle Mead, NJ
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~hscc/
"As for me and my house - we will serve the Lord"

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