Grave Etiquette 5

Final touch, cleaning the grave site:

All bushes and weeds should be removed by the roots to prevent them from growing back. For security reasons, you should have as clear a line of sight from one end of a cemetery to the other end. This makes it easer to observe unauthorized visitors and decrease vandalism. It also gives the plot a much neater and orderly look. Before removing any ornamental plants, check with the sexton or cemetery board though, as they may have planted them.

Project Completion

Upon completion of any project it is strongly recommended that you compile a list of all veterans, a short biography on each, and describe the condition and what was done at the grave site.

Leave copies with the Court House, cemetery grounds keeper, Sexton or administrative office and leave a copy with the local library.

Make sure your name, address and phone number are on the cover page. In 3 instances, historians or family members have asked about a distant relative, “a Confederate Veteran”. These unknown veterans were not on any list. They were confirmed through military records and added to the list.

This also gets the SCV name out in the eye of the public and lets them know we still exist, that we still care and that we still maintain these grave sites.

If a special ceremony is planned, be sure to invite the local media. Television stations often use such events for “local color” stories, and it never hurts to let the public see what we are doing to preserve our history and heritage.

The last suggestion is to draw a map of the cemetery and indicate where these graves are located. During Confederate Memorial Day, they can be easily found and decorated quickly.

SCV Handbook for Grave Etiquette, Conservation and Preservation