With this data, you can prioritize the stones that most need repair. The records help preservationists know if an urn was missing or if a gravestone was broken when the survey was conducted. Without a photograph, no visual record helps to recover or reconstruct the missing gravestone. Sadly, part of the cemetery is lost forever. The key element to a cemetery recording project is volunteers.
Many members are interested in cemetery projects.
The county judge can direct you to the CHC chair. Local genealogical groups and historical societies are also a good source for volunteers. If you write an article for the local newspaper about your project you may find people interested in cemeteries and local history, as well as friends and relatives of people buried in the cemetery. Some may record other cemeteries or tell their friends about the experience and recruit them for another project. We continuously lose elements of our historical cemeteries to natural weathering, neglect, vandalism and theft.