Lynn Point Project - 2001-2002
Honoring Cousins Buried in a
Remote Mountain Cemetery,
Volunteers Launch a Cleanup and Mapping Project
Our 2001 cleanup team, L-R: Wayne Miner, Art Miller,
Leslie Leapline
Potter, Bill Suffern, Mike Smith and Mark Miner. Kneeling:
Dennis
Morrison. Photo - Sid Miller. Click to see all the known
cousin-
soldiers in our clan, and how
we seek to honor their memory, and
an update on our 2006 cleanup effort.
2002 UPDATE -- A formal report on the cleanup and mapping of Lynn Point Cemetery has been released to the public by the Minerd-Miner-Minor Reunion Committee. Copies have been sent to select libraries and historical societies in Dunbar, Connellsville and Uniontown, PA, as well as in Pittsburgh.
The
report contains a professionally drawn survey map
of the cemetery, showing the location of six grave markers and between 55-60
unmarked gravestones, as well as dilapidated fencelines and vegetation. It also
contains a narrative of cleanup efforts in 2001-2002 and a list of all
individuals known or believed to be buried at Lynn Point.
Writing in the report’s introduction, Mark A. Miner (reunion president) and Sidney E. Miller (vice president and cemetery cleanup chairman) said:
When we made our first visits to the mountainous Lynn Point Cemetery near Dunbar in the 1990s, we both came to the conclusion that this was a sacred site -- -and, sadly, in danger of becoming forgotten, along with the identities of those buried there. The few headstones, among high weeds, broken branches and entangling vines, belie the fact that scores of other souls sleep there in unmarked graves -- each having lived a life filled with some level of experience and emotion, joy and suffering, energy and fatigue. We desire that this cleanup be a regular, ongoing effort. A spring or autumn visit is needed annually to inspect and beautify the site and to make sure the undergrowth and debris are kept at bay.
# # #
MAY
2002 - Over the Memorial Day Weekend, volunteers Dennis
Morrison, Scout Master of Boy Scouts of America Troop 180-Dunbar, and Mark A. Miner, President of the Minerd-Miner-Minor Reunion, re-visited the Lynn Point
Cemetery.
Their mission was three-fold -- to place American flags on the graves of Civil War soldiers as part of an annual Boy Scouts service project; to field-check the final details of the survey map sketched during the 2001 cleanup; and to make sure the cemetery was still relatively clean of debris and that all grave markers were still in place. Each of the three objectives was accomplished during the visit. Seen here, Dennis plants a flag at the grave of Civil War veteran James Minerd Jr.
# # #
APRIL 21, 2001 -- Despite intermittent rain and constant mud,
eight volunteers spent a Saturday morning cleaning the remote, mountainous Lynn Point Cemetery near Dunbar,
PA. The group included
officials of the National Minerd-Miner-Minor Reunion, as well as
members of the Bodkin family and community leaders.
The cleanup crew included our cousins Sid Miller, Art Miller, Mike Smith, O. Wayne Miner and Mark A. Miner, as well as community members Leslie Leapline Potter, Dennis Morrison and William Suffern.
The effort involved
cutting and removing trees, fallen branches,
heavy briars and weeds. The grave markers of two Civil War soldiers, both of
which had toppled over, were lifted, straightened and re-set into place.
At left, Mike Smith cuts apart a tree which had fallen on a grave marker of the Tressler family.
The 75 foot by 75 foot cemetery was mapped professionally, despite unclear fencelines and rough terrain.
The effort was a result of the long-term vision of brothers Sid and Art Miller. They first visited the cemetery in 1996, and were appalled to see the neglected condition of the grave of their great-great grandfather, Civil War veteran James Minerd Jr., of the 85th PA Infantry.
"Sid knew what needed to be accomplished, did the legwork and marshaled the resources," said Mark Miner, president of the Minerd reunion committee, and founder of the family's website. "He and the work team have provided a valuable service to the community, to our family and to future unborn generations."
Sid Miller (left), Mike Smith and Art Miller re-set the fallen Minerd shaft
Only a handful of graves were found to be marked, of the
Minerd, Tressler and Forquer families. Retired civil engineer Wayne Miner, who
performed the surveying and mapping, found from between 55 to 60 graves in various rows,
marked only by rough upright fieldstones, with no lettering. At right, having
completed his survey, Wayne clears the grave of Civil War veteran John S.
Forquer, of the 4th WV Cavalry.
"This is our way to give something back to the Dunbar community which has provided a home and livelihoods to hundreds of members of our families," said Sid Miller. "It also helps us honor individuals of the past, and is an opportunity for all of us to learn. We're sending a message that these lives will not be forgotten."
The group has developed these future goals for the project:
- Maintain a special page on the family's website, to serve as a single point of reference and baseline for future research efforts.
- Educate the public about the project, including distributing copies of the cemetery map to local libraries, historical societies, genealogists and community members.
- Gather as much history of the cemetery as possible, including the identities of as many individuals buried at Lynn Point as possible, and determining when the cemetery was first used. Possible avenues of research include courthouse, newspaper and genealogical records. The earliest marked burial is Mary Minerd (1885), daughter of the soldier.
Known Marked Burials at Lynn Point:
John S. Forquer (1841-1921) - Co. I, 4th
WV Cavalry
Nora (Bodkin) Forquer (1845-1923)
James Minerd Jr. (1840-1909) - Co. I,
85th PA Infantry
Emma (Meyers) Minerd (1863-1939)
Mary Minerd (1868-1885)
Maud Minerd (1890-1891)
Stella Minerd (1888-1892)
Raymond C. Murphy (1904-1979)
John Tressler (1879-1935)
Isa M. Tressler (1898-1961)
Charlene Tressler (1950-1951)
Known Unmarked Burials at Lynn Point:
George Bodkin (1846-1919)
Catherine (Williams) Bodkin (1850?-1911)
Spanish-American War Veteran (special flag holder only)
Wisteria Camp (infant)
Baby Cromwell (-1938-)
Andrew Cooper
Forquer Twin Infant Sons (-1881-)
Mary Elizabeth (Bodkin) Hennessey (1837-1904)
William Hennessey
Nancy Agnes (Bodkin) Hiles (1851-1923)
Jacob Hiles (1850-1927)
Joseph Hiles (1876-1935)
William Hiles (1881-1937)
Robert Hiles (1889-1915)
John L. Minerd (1893-1921)
Lucy Mae (Nicklow) Minerd (1891-1940)
Albert L. Minerd (1884-1946)
Probable or Possible Burials at Lynn Point:
William Bodkin (1814-1892)
Julia Ann (Bryner) Bodkin (1816-1891)
Caroline Bodkin (1854-1874)
Clarissa Bodkin (1857-1872)
Jane W. Bodkin (1862-1891)
Margaret Bodkin ( ? - ? ), died young
Matthew Cunningham Sr. ( ? - ? )
Matthew Cunningham Jr. ( ? -1887)
Margaret May Hiles (1886-1894)
For more information, contact reunion president and Minerd.com founder Mark Miner. Click to see other web-published research of this cemetery.
Clean at last
Copyright © 2001-2002 Mark A. Miner