Latest update: Saturday, April 6, 2013
Join us Saturday, 06 April 2013 for a trek into the wilderness
of DeWitt Co, TEXAS to clean and document the EDGAR Family Cemetery.
Journal: Journey to DDay
Anyone interested in
attending either/or both work
sessions at the cemetery
and/or the luncheon should
contact Bob WEBB
(one of James’ and Selah’s
GGG-Grandsons).
Updates about Decoration
Day 2013,
the EFCA,
and other information
about the
cemetery can be found on
this website,
so bookmark and visit often.
As most of you know, we are planning
a group "expedition" to the EDGAR
Family Cemetery on Saturday, 06
April, 2013. The cemetery is remote,
on private land, near the location of
the old Edgar family homestead in the
Edgar community, between Cuero
and Yoakum.
It would be great if you all could
come. Of course, any other of your/
our Edgar relatives, extended family
members, and/or interested friends
are invited, too.
We are going to have most of the
major clean up work done (brush-
clearing, snake-insulated crew)
before that gathering. By April 6th,
hopefully all that will be left to do will
be "fine pruning," tending of the grave
sites, taking photographs, and
sharing stories of the EDGARs and
related families and some of their
neighbors and/or friends who were
also buried there.
I think we have all who were known to have been buried there now identified with their family linkages, except for one or two.
Maybe by (or on) April 6th, we'll get those two identified and any more we may find there.
Directions and Parking
For the morning session, we are planning to meet at 7:45 a.m. Saturday at the parking area. Parking will be in a small, level,
gravel area on the north side of the Concrete & Edgar Road about 1.5 miles west of Hwy 77 that goes from Yoakum to Cuero
with overflow parking (if needed) alongside the Concrete & Edgar Road near there. If parking alongside the road, be sure and
pull completely off the road. The road is not much more than one-lane wide, so parking too near the road would create
problems. There is plenty of grassy area alongside Concrete & Edgar road for safe parking if needed.
When driving west, that gravel area is on the right, just before the road sign for Brown Road that goes south (left) from the
Concrete & Edgar Road. So, it’s essentially at the northeast corner of the intersection of Brown Road and the Concrete &
Edgar Road. The gravel area is at the entrance to a fracking water retention reservoir built in anticipation of an oil well being
drilled there, plans for which are apparently now on hold. The dry reservoir can easily be seen from the road and the parking
area.
From the parking area, the 15-passenger shuttle van and a few other vehicles will make the drive of about one-mile through
the landowner’s ranch over some rough terrain (very bumpy in spots), through some tall grass, past many cows and calves,
through several gates (one currently kept closed), across a branch of Cuero Creek (no bridge), and then up the hill to the old
Edgar home place and the cemetery. The one-mile ride itself is an adventure!
The drive from that parking area back to the cemetery takes about 15 minutes, and the shuttle van will be making as many
round-trips as needed. We are hoping to limit the number of vehicles that drive back to the cemetery, and then only to trucks
or SUVs.
Agenda (Draft 7)
News Release
The Founding of Edgar, TEXAS
Suggestions
(Updated 27 Mar 2013)
Refreshments: Please provide your own refreshments (if any) in a cooler or bag. Drinking water is especially important
to bring; there is no source of drinking water at the cemetery.
Bathrooms: There are no bathrooms or similar facilities at the cemetery. There are distant trees that can be used in an
emergency. Please bring toilet tissue, wet wipes, etc. as you wish and may need. The travel time by shuttle from the
cemetery to the parking area is about 10 minutes. The travel time from the parking area to the nearest public facility (in
Yoakum) is about 15 minutes for a total time from the cemetery to the nearest public facility of about 25 minutes.
What to Wear: The current forecast (expect changes between now and then) is for a low about 60 (early in the morning)
and a high about 70 (by mid-afternoon). Long pants (jean weight; briar resistant), jackets, long-sleeved shirts (consider
layers), hats, and leather gloves are advised for those who will be tending the cemetery. All the same except perhaps the
gloves are advised for those who will just be attending the short, afternoon visitation. Even then, gloves are advised if there
will be any reaching near gravestones to prevent briar pricks or the unlikely but possible strike from a bee, wasp, spider or
snake. We don’t believe there is any active poison ivy remaining, but that possibility is another reason to have long pants,
boots, long sleeves and gloves.
Another reason sturdy boots are important is that the ground is very uneven and is a tripping hazard, partly due to feral hogs
rooting for wild onions and digging up the ground in all directions.
What to Bring (tools): The heavy work is done except for a few more stumps that need to be removed. For those who
will be tending the cemetery in the morning and/or the afternoon, the most important tools to bring include (examples
illustrated in the photo):
Strong rake with sturdy teeth for scratching and leveling and snaring small vines and roots
Lawn rake for collecting vines and other light debris
Hand shears/clippers for clipping vines and roots
Long-handled shears for clipping larger vines and roots
Gardening tools (hand rake, trowel, etc.) for leveling around gravestones
Knee pads or gardening pad for kneeling
Brush or brushes
What to Bring (other)
Lawn chairs
Sunscreen
Insect repellant
Camera. Although we will be taking and posting photos, transcriptions, maps, GPS coordinates,
maps, diagrams, etc, you may want a personal documentation of the trip; for example a photo of
you standing next to the gravestone of your ancestor. Remember to share your photos with us.
5 Key Objectives
(Updated Sunday, March 31, 2013)
Objective 1: Work safely
Wear long sleeves, boots, and gloves when working or walking in cemetery
Be wary of snakes and spiders, especially in ground holes and underbrush
Be wary of uneven ground, roots and slips, trips and falls
Be wary of thorns and “spikes” of vines and underbrush
Be wary of barbed wire & iron fencing around graves
Be wary of dehydration
Be wary of sunburn
Objective 2: Do no harm
Grave markers (visible and not yet visible)
Current fencing
Objective 3: Clear away debris, vines and roots
Clip remaining vines, spikes and surface roots
Rake area and move debris outside of fence
Remove some of remaining stumps
Smooth areas around stones
Objective 4: Record locations of grave stones on forms provided (16 sections)
Identify and/or briefly describe each stone recorded (size, shape, etc.)
Record locations of all stones with and without inscriptions
Place flag at location of all stones with no inscriptions
identify stones needing repair and/or resetting
Objective 5: Apply herbicide to lessen re-growth and fire ant bait where needed
Last step, done after clearing and recording steps