This person looking for gravestones is big trouble. He has been searching for the small, hidden, and vulnerable grave sites in my area. He then feels the desire to remove the headstones to "protect" them. It is against the law to remove ANY headstones from a cemetery and he apparently is clueless (and purposely ignorant) to this fact. The local historical society is a PRIVATE entity and has NO jurisdicton to approve the removal of headstones from family owned cemeteries or any other vandalism to sacred grounds that this guy may enjoy. The law states that if a cemetery is located within a State owned property that the closest relative shall maintain that cemetery. How many cemeteries have you seen pardonned off at developed sites because you aren't allowed to disturb them? The stones he found have been well documented and are not "lost cemeteries" as his thread here tries to imply. If the family wanted to do something with their family's headstones, they would have done so by now. Yes, the family still lives locally and knows about them. They just don't know about him! For me personally, I don't need this guy to go round up my family's markers "to protect them". I'm not sure if he has taken the headstones he found so far but we are going to take action if ANY headstones are taken or moved!
Despite, multiple messages telling him NOT to move the stones, he kept coming up with reasons why he should. They have been there for centuries, unmolested and this guy now thinks he has the right, against the law, to move them. I had to ask him finally if he was looking for some kind of recognition because it seems very obvious that he wants to drag his "kill" home with him. When I found these stones years ago, I felt compelled to keep them a secret, much as we do here with some of the lost grave sites we know of. I'm kinda like that with all vulnerable historic areas. Not this guy. He has Facebook page that is dedicated to showing off the stones and bringing attention to them. He, of course, needed to tell everyone here and god knows where else.
It gets worse though. To bring his all home, he has now announced his great interest in MY family's local graveyard (in Wall Twp.). Someone illegally moved the headstones from this plot some time ago. I know this guy wants to go root around to see if he can find more stones that may be buried, and if he does, he is going to wan to "protect" them. My Mother is beyond upset about this guy's presence and is preparing for legal action against him and anyone else that aids him in any removal of stones. Get this...my Mother contacted this guy and expressed her despair about the headstones being moved to the local historical society and he told her "since you are disabled, it is probably better for you that they are there since you can visit them now". My Mom is a direct descendant to those interred at the cemetery and he had the f**in nerve to decide what is in her best interest for her family's burial site? I can not tell you how pissed off I am at this POS. Can you imagine how unconnected he is to the fact that these are actual burial sites and not GPS caches? He is a threat to what we hold dear. I really hope I bump into him out there soon!
I strenuosly suggest that this person be removed from this site as you can see he is using it to show off his findings and draw attention to himself as a grave robber. If he had found the U. Clay stones and had them all propped up against trees with photos saying "so now what do I do with them?" and diagreed with your opinion to leave them alone I think you would feel as strongly as I do. Don't listen to any BS he is going to lay down after he sees this post because his actions speak much louder.
