Preventing Cemetery Erasure

I recently watched Sad Hill Unearthed, a documentary film about the restoration of an abandoned cemetery film set in northern Spain. No humans are buried at the site: it was created solely for the closing sequence of Sergio Leone’s 1966 film, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. The documentary shows how fans of the original film restored the “cemetery” in time for a 50th anniversary celebration of the film.

The Sad Hill Cemetery, although fictional, makes me wonder about the Hultin-Thrush Cemetery: how will it be remembered? Although my father remembered it, I had forgotten about it until starting genealogical research.

Gena Philibert-Ortega (2021) describes how cemetery erasure can occur:

• A cemetery plot on a family farm might have been repurposed or forgotten over time.
• A cemetery may now be on private property and access may be denied or limited.
• Not all graves were marked and not all cemeteries have records; graves marked with wooden markers decompose over time.

The Hultin-Thrush Cemetery originated as a cemetery plot on the family farm. With no cemetery record, no gravestones, and decades of unintentional neglect, a 1978 state survey of historic cemeteries classified it as “abandoned to nature.” The family eventually sold the property with the graveyard, and generational knowledge associated with it has been lost.

Family members interred at the site had life experiences that I am only now learning about. However, my interest in long-dead family members has happily led to a connection with living Thrush Cousins: Vickie, whose emerging interest in family history led her to this blog, and Cheryl, who has been conducting exemplary genealogical research for many years. Their interest in the cemetery has led me to appreciate how memory and place can connect families and communities.

So what, if anything, should be done to preserve the cemetery?

Chris Bendall (2023) asserts that a cemetery is a community archive. To prevent cemetery erasure, burials must be documented and made public. The Bandon Historical Society agreed to archive my recent compilation of burials at the cemetery (see below). Special thanks to Jim Proehl for his kind replies to my inquiry about—and submission of—the documentary material.

In terms of further preservation efforts, I don’t know what might happen. Various interests must first be considered; fortunately for the Thrush Cousins, the current landowner has expressed a willingness to give them access to the site.

Have you taken part in the preservation of an abandoned or neglected cemetery? If you are willing to share your experience and/or suggestions, please contact me or leave a comment below.

Sources

Bendall, Chris. “Death and Community: Cemeteries as Community Archives,” 2023. https://mydigitalpublication.com/article/Death+and+Community%3A+Cemeteries+as+Community+Archives/4492567/780606/article.html.

Philibert-Ortega, Gena. “Genealogy Dilemma: The Problem with Cemeteries.” GenealogyBank Blog (blog), June 7, 2021. https://blog.genealogybank.com/genealogy-dilemma-the-problem-with-cemeteries.html.

“Sad Hill Cemetery.” In Wikipedia, December 14, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sad_Hill_Cemetery&oldid=1127458401.

Sad Hill Unearthed. de Oliveria, Guillermo, Director. Documentary Film (86 min.). Netflix, 2017. https://www.netflix.com/title/80988832.

Compilation of burials at Hultin-Thrush Cemetery