vandals hit historic princeton cemetery
brenda kellow
july 27, 2014
Why would someone want to trash a cemetery? I do not know the answer, but over last weekend, someone or a group knocked over, damaged or destroyed 44 beautiful headstones, many irreplaceable, scattering broken pieces of angels, urns, keepsakes, and such around the West section of this beautiful, historic cemetery. Many of the stones were placed there in the early 1900s, but some were as early as the formation of the cemetery in 1895.
Kenny Campbell, secretary-treasurer of the Princeton Cemetery Association Board, said that many of the stones were irreplaceable. In a phone conversation, Kenny said it was a mess, destroying their recent project to straighten and upright the stones to their original position. Now they have to do it all over again. At this time, he was unsure whether the insurance company would cover the damage. He told me the police are investigating, giving it top priority, and believe at this time that the vandals were on foot and done by more than one person. We all hope the police find and prosecute everyone responsible for the damage.
The Princeton Cemetery Association operates as a non-profit organization. It consists of an eight-member, elected Board of Trustees. The By-Laws, voted by the membership, govern the operation of the cemetery. Annual membership dues, gifts and donations with the interest earned on the Endowment Fund make up the funding of The Princeton Cemetery. They will be asking for donations to help with the repairs. Their address is P.O. Box 684, Princeton, TX 75407. Anyone with information should contact the Police Department's non-emergency line at 972-736-3901.
CLEAR LAKE CEMETERY NEEDS A CARETAKER OR CARETAKERS: Recently, I was contacted about the Clear Lake Cemetery, in Clear Lake Park at Lavon Lake, in the Eastern part of the County. Directions and an inventory of known burials are at http://files.usgwarchives.net/tx/collin/cemeteries/clearlak.txt. It has fallen into disrepair and needs help in cleaning it up, mowing, edging, and fence repair. Can you help with this burial ground? If so, contact the Collin County Historical Commission and tell them your desire to help with cleaning it up, www.co.collin.tx.us/historical_commission/Pages/default.aspx.
McMILLEN CEMETERY IN MURPHY BEING CLEANED BY VOLUNTEERS: Even though this cemetery is owned by the Corinth Presbyterian Church and has a Texas Historical Cemetery Marker, it has fallen into disrepair once again. The church is small with barely a membership of 30 mostly elderly people. Age related illnesses plague the membership. Because of this, the cemetery, though loved, does not have the money or membership to care for the cemetery. Recently, the Moms of Murphy volunteered to clean it up. Once again, it will proudly honor those early settlers who have passed away. Thank you Moms of Murphy.
MANDATE NEEDED TO HELP OLD, ABANDONED CEMETERIES: I call for the County to adopt a mandate to care for old, historic and abandoned cemeteries whose descendants have also passed away or moved from the area. These cemeteries should not be abandoned and neglected. They hold the remains of our early settlers who made our strong and caring county. The Clear Lake Cemetery and the McMillen Cemetery are both examples of cemeteries loved at one time but now abandoned because of the aging population. The Collin County Historical Commission should campaign to have the Commission provide for the care of these old burial grounds. The Sheriff’s Department does an expert job of cleaning and clearing when scheduled, but they cannot care for these on a regular basis.
CALLING CZECH AND BOHEMIAN DESCENDANTS: If you are of Czech or Bohemian descent, Onward to Our Past Genealogy Services Company wants to identify, research, document, record and preserve the names of those from this area. Eventually, these descendants will be identified in most all the states including Texas. This is the first attempt to document the first settlers into towns and communities across America. The owner of the company hopes to do this through crowdsourcing. You only need to post a comment on the website http://onwardtoourpast.com/genealogy_blog/czech-genealogy/whos-on-first-bohemian-czech-genealogy-and-immigration-across-the-united-states.html. This is a great opportunity for those of Czech descent.
FREE REVOLUTIONARY WAR COLLECTION UNTIL JULY 31: Fold3.com offers its Revolutionary War Collection database free from now until July 31. It is at http://go.fold3.com/revolutionary-war/?xid=1756&utm_source=content&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=odp-revwar-july2014.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: bbkellow@verizon.net.
Kenny Campbell, secretary-treasurer of the Princeton Cemetery Association Board, said that many of the stones were irreplaceable. In a phone conversation, Kenny said it was a mess, destroying their recent project to straighten and upright the stones to their original position. Now they have to do it all over again. At this time, he was unsure whether the insurance company would cover the damage. He told me the police are investigating, giving it top priority, and believe at this time that the vandals were on foot and done by more than one person. We all hope the police find and prosecute everyone responsible for the damage.
The Princeton Cemetery Association operates as a non-profit organization. It consists of an eight-member, elected Board of Trustees. The By-Laws, voted by the membership, govern the operation of the cemetery. Annual membership dues, gifts and donations with the interest earned on the Endowment Fund make up the funding of The Princeton Cemetery. They will be asking for donations to help with the repairs. Their address is P.O. Box 684, Princeton, TX 75407. Anyone with information should contact the Police Department's non-emergency line at 972-736-3901.
CLEAR LAKE CEMETERY NEEDS A CARETAKER OR CARETAKERS: Recently, I was contacted about the Clear Lake Cemetery, in Clear Lake Park at Lavon Lake, in the Eastern part of the County. Directions and an inventory of known burials are at http://files.usgwarchives.net/tx/collin/cemeteries/clearlak.txt. It has fallen into disrepair and needs help in cleaning it up, mowing, edging, and fence repair. Can you help with this burial ground? If so, contact the Collin County Historical Commission and tell them your desire to help with cleaning it up, www.co.collin.tx.us/historical_commission/Pages/default.aspx.
McMILLEN CEMETERY IN MURPHY BEING CLEANED BY VOLUNTEERS: Even though this cemetery is owned by the Corinth Presbyterian Church and has a Texas Historical Cemetery Marker, it has fallen into disrepair once again. The church is small with barely a membership of 30 mostly elderly people. Age related illnesses plague the membership. Because of this, the cemetery, though loved, does not have the money or membership to care for the cemetery. Recently, the Moms of Murphy volunteered to clean it up. Once again, it will proudly honor those early settlers who have passed away. Thank you Moms of Murphy.
MANDATE NEEDED TO HELP OLD, ABANDONED CEMETERIES: I call for the County to adopt a mandate to care for old, historic and abandoned cemeteries whose descendants have also passed away or moved from the area. These cemeteries should not be abandoned and neglected. They hold the remains of our early settlers who made our strong and caring county. The Clear Lake Cemetery and the McMillen Cemetery are both examples of cemeteries loved at one time but now abandoned because of the aging population. The Collin County Historical Commission should campaign to have the Commission provide for the care of these old burial grounds. The Sheriff’s Department does an expert job of cleaning and clearing when scheduled, but they cannot care for these on a regular basis.
CALLING CZECH AND BOHEMIAN DESCENDANTS: If you are of Czech or Bohemian descent, Onward to Our Past Genealogy Services Company wants to identify, research, document, record and preserve the names of those from this area. Eventually, these descendants will be identified in most all the states including Texas. This is the first attempt to document the first settlers into towns and communities across America. The owner of the company hopes to do this through crowdsourcing. You only need to post a comment on the website http://onwardtoourpast.com/genealogy_blog/czech-genealogy/whos-on-first-bohemian-czech-genealogy-and-immigration-across-the-united-states.html. This is a great opportunity for those of Czech descent.
FREE REVOLUTIONARY WAR COLLECTION UNTIL JULY 31: Fold3.com offers its Revolutionary War Collection database free from now until July 31. It is at http://go.fold3.com/revolutionary-war/?xid=1756&utm_source=content&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=odp-revwar-july2014.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: bbkellow@verizon.net.
