You might want to take a look at the orientation of the 5 depressions.
Christian burials are typically laid out east-west give or take a few
degrees. That's not to say that trees weren't planted in a similar fashion,
but it's another free piece of the puzzle.
Probing would be another inexpensive method. Often, it is possible to
"feel" a grave by probing. We use a 3/8" steel probe with a slightly larger
diameter ball tip. Areas that have been previously excavated probe with
somewhat less exertion than immediately adjacent ground that has not been
disturbed.
Hiring a cadaver dog and handler might be more expensive than GPR study of a
relatively small area. Most cadaver dogs are trained to scent decaying
remains and not just bone material. Unfortunately, there may be little else
left of a 150 year old burial. However, dogs that have been imprinted with
human skeletal material are known to have been successful locating unmarked
19th century graves consisting of little more than bone under some
conditions.
For what it's worth, it has been our experience that a greater degree of
ground outgassing occurs during a sharply dropping barometer, and that this
condition significantly enhances the animal's ability to scent deeply buried
remains. Also, permitting the cadaver dog access to a freshly probed hole
and the tip of the probe may confirm unmarked burials. There are numerous
other variables as well including the amount of decay, coffin material. soil
type, ground moisture, ambient surface conditions, etc. We made use of a
cadaver dog on a number of cemetery delineation projects for several years
until it died last year. I have personally witnessed the dog detect small
human bones (multiple carpal, metacarpal and a calcaneus) near the surface
though not visible. There was clear evidence that these bones had been
excavated from mid-19th century grave(s) by groundhogs or other burrowing
critters before being scattered by plowing. I have also watched the same
dog fail to locate any graves at all in a marked cemetery. The use of
cadaver dogs to locate older graves is by no means infallible.
Seems like a preponderance of the available evidence including grave-size
depressions oriented in a row cemetery fashion, taken with some probing and
the other historical evidence you already have, should be enough to red flag
the area for the probability of unmarked graves.
Good luck,
Rich Green
Historic Archaeological Research
4338 Hadley Court
West Lafayette, IN 47906
Office: (765) 464-8735
Mobile: (765) 427-4082
www.har-indy.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lyle E. Browning" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2010 2:31 PM
Subject: Re: Relocating late 19th century cemetery
> If the 5 depressions are laid out side by side, then the odds are highly
> to overwhelmingly in favor of them being graves. If not, way less so, with
> isolated tree falls being the culprits.
>
> Investigation is tricky. Presumably PA has laws starting from at least the
> Resurrectionist days against disturbance of a grave without prior
> administrative approval. It may be as simple as the church granting same
> as it is private land, if that is the law; or as complex as the SHPO or
> local court system process. Either way, the legal ramifications need to be
> addressed before fieldwork.
>
> A toothless bucket on a mechanical excavator would make quick work of
> determining whether the depressions had sharp 90° edges and therefore
> looked more gravelike than not. That still doesn't answer the ultimate
> question because the graves might have been exhumed later. A parishioner
> with a Mini-Excavator could probably be persuaded to volunteer for the
> effort.
>
> Another avenue entirely would be police cadaver dogs. As there is no
> attendant graveyard, there is nothing to confuse the dogs, but the handler
> would have to be familiar with a low level of response left from a 19th
> century burial. And, CSI programs occasionally feature electronic sniffer
> devices that may be able to identify decomposed human remains, but again
> the time depth is an issue. A training exercise for the local forensic
> folks?
>
> Perhaps the bigger question is absent some threat, why is there any real
> necessity to make the determination?
>
>
> Lyle E. Browning, RPA
> Browning & Associates, Ltd.
> 2240 Chartstone Drive
> Midlothian, VA 23113
> 804-379-1666
> 804-357-2959 mobile
>
> On Dec 1, 2010, at 1:55 PM, Benjamin Carter wrote:
>
>> All,
>>
>> I was recently contacted by a local historian who has an interesting
>> problem. I don't have a lot of time, but thought I would throw this
>> problem out there and see if any of you have thoughts on quick and easy
>> ways to deal with this issue.
>>
>> The story:
>> A local iron works was built in the mid to late 19th century. Along with
>> the factory the company built dorms and a church. The church still
>> exists, but there is no cemetery officially associated with it. Indeed,
>> many of the factory workers who attended the church (and whose funerals
>> were held at the church) can be located via head stones in other
>> cemeteries in the area. However, just behind the church are five
>> depressions that are roughly the right size for a grave. The local
>> historical society can demonstrate that there were also five individuals
>> in the church records who are not accounted for in other cemeteries.
>> These tend to be children and itinerant laborers with little apparent
>> connection to the area. It sounds quite plausible to me, but I have NO
>> experience with late 19th century cemeteries.
>>
>> My question: Aside from GPR, excavation, or other time intensive and
>> expensive methods, is there a quick way to assess whether or not there
>> are human remains in these depressions?
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Ben
>>
>> --
>> Ben Carter, Ph.D., RPA
>> Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology
>> Sociology and Anthropology Department
>> Muhlenberg College
>> 2400 Chew Street
>> Allentown PA, 18104
>> Phone: 484-664-3961 Fax: 484-664-3718
>> [log in to unmask]
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