Dan

What Saratoga cemetery is that stone in? Who is the veteran?  You
can get a free monument or plaque for any  veteran from the Veteran's
Administration. You need to prove this person was a vet and where
possible, that requires a discharge paper, if available.

Veteran's today have pretty much been getting the plaque and the
funeral directors order that at the time of their funeral. It is not
something that is ordered ahead. The plaque is usually placed
on the back of an existing upright monument or slant marker.
It could be mounted on the front or top of a marker (specifically
placed for the plaque) that has no other carved information on it.
The plaque is 24" wide by 12" high and comes with screws that
hook into fittings that are part of the back of the plaque. They
drill the monument or marker to accommodate the depth of the
screws (usually 4") and put a special sealer to keep the screws
in the granite.

You have two other choices of upright monuments and they are
the narrow upright monument which is 13" wide by 42" high by 4"
front to back. Part of that would go into the ground or maybe into
the foundation. The best choice for those is to request that it be in
light grey granite and not the marble as marble does not hold up
like the granite. They are carved with the vet's name, rank, branch
of service and sometimes the company. You need to have that
information from the discharge to prove that he/she was a veteran.
The carved shield of the past is not carved on these stones, just the
inscription although there is a place to indicate Civil War on the
new form. They may be doing that but I am not sure of that.

Was the metal flag holder a GAR emblem?  That could be under
the stone but it may be missing. They have become the 'prize' to
sell on the Internet auctions as are many other items taken from
cemeteries. Ornate and military items from cemeteries have become
a big market item and is happening in cemeteries in many areas.
GAR or any emblems can be replicated by a bronze company but
that would be your expense. Vandals also destroy and take away
things.

You need to be in touch with the caretaker or the town (if it is an
abandoned cemetery) before doing anything. Many towns are now
in the process of fixing up and restoring the abandon cemeteries
and I am happy that is underway here in Saratoga County. They are
ordering the replacement veteran monuments via the VA too. This
gives them the opportunity to put back something of recorded history
and at no expense. DAR members have been also following up on
getting the Rev. War replacements.

The plaques could sit on the ground but most cemeteries in
Saratoga Co. (and elsewhere) do require a foundation be under
them so they do not sink. The foundation is just like the foundations
for an upright monument and the pouring of the cement is handled
by the cemetery.  Plaques that sit directly on the ground will soon
be covered with mud and grass and almost not worth wasting the
time and effort to place them there.

Their is no charge for the  plaque or monument provided by the VA.
The cemetery may have a charge for a concrete foundation or
placement charge. You should check on that before you order the
replacement item. Some cemeteries have very strict rules and
you want to follow their directions.

I have some new forms coming as the old ones I have are no
longer used. The plaque is delivered to a local funeral director or
caretaker of the cemetery. The monument weighs 230 pounds so
it will be dropped off at the cemetery. This is why all of this must
be discussed ahead of time so that the receiver (funeral home or
cemetery) will be expecting it and the cemetery can plan for it to
be placed. With Spring burials a VERY HECTIC time for the
cemetery, funeral director, and monument manufacture, the
sooner you apply for that the better. This is the slowest time
of the year and many of the quarries, especially in VT are
closed. BUT, come Mar-Apr, it will be a mad house. They may
not be able to set that for you until even June as they have to
first get all of the burials done that died over the winter before they
pour foundations and start having monuments placed.

The other great thing happening is that many veterans and their
spouses are being buried at the new Saratoga National Cemetery
in Stillwater near the Battlefield. The grave and stone are free. The
spouse's name is included on the back of their regulation monument.
Many veteran's have been moved from other cemeteries to SNC.
With the memorial to Saratoga's fallen vets and the memorial
pathway representing the military organizations it is becoming
quite a place to visit. It is good they are honoring all veterans
who served to protect the USA.

I will soon have a form to send you if you would like. Maybe the
cemetery you are dealing with already has plans to replace
their vet stones.  I have been working with some of them and
using Durkee's and other records to locate graves. If you visit
the Saratoga GenWebPage www.rootsweb.com/~nysarato
you will see loads of Saratoga Cemetery records and more are
being computerized by Heritage Hunter volunteers.

God Bless
Ruth Ann
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