Letter to the Editor
Lost Cemeteries are Common
Dear Editor:
While it is always sad
to hear of lost cemeteries, you are exaggerating when you view
it as a slight to the disabled [“Coalition
Seeks Lost Cemetery,” Access Press, 10 November 2006].
In addition to being
a woman with disability, I am also an amateur genealogist, and
I can tell you that there are lots and lots of lost cemeteries.
It is easy to lose one when it does not contain your own family
members; it is easy to lose one when “progress” demands
a certain piece of property; it is easy to lose one when you think
the dead—of any color or ability—do not deserve to “rest
in peace.”
Losing cemeteries has happened to black Americans in New York (to
cite a recent case), to native peoples (too many cases to cite),
and to white folks without a descendant to make sure cemetery upkeep
continues.
Thanks for your faithfulness in publishing the paper.
Laura Hill
Roseville, Minnesota
