Restoring headstones was not on schoolteacher Andrea Chamberlain’s “to-do” list the day she came across a neglected cemetery, but it quickly became one of the top priorities in her life.
The quiet fields of Evergreen Cemetery in Girard, Michigan, hold more than simple headstones. They hold stories of families, forgotten children, the sacrifices of pioneers, and legacies fading by the day. But thanks to one dedicated schoolteacher turned cemetery-preservation champion, those stories are finding their voice again.
Today, every gravestone has been photographed with the BillionGraves app, automatically tagging each one with GPS coordinates. This makes the names searchable for cemetery visitors and for those who are doing family history research from afar.
From Pencils in the Classroom to Shovels in the Cemetery
A mother of 4, Andrea taught special education at a middle school in rural Michigan for 21 years. She was busy with children from dawn to dusk during the school year, but when summer came around, she had a little more “me” time.
In the summer of 2021, Andrea’s mother was attending a workshop in Union City, Michigan, on gravestone cleaning and invited her to come along. Andrea reluctantly accepted. But as she listened to Bobbie Mathis demonstrate cleaning methods, she fell in love with the idea of preserving history, one gravestone at a time.
So over the summer, Andrea helped clean headstones. As fall came around, she went back to the classroom.
The Beginning of a Mission
The following summer, Andrea bought an ice cream cone at a rural store in Girard, Michigan, and ate it as she strolled down a country road. Before long, she came across the grounds of Evergreen Cemetery, where she saw more than gravestones. She saw memories. She saw community. And she saw gravestones that needed some attention.
As with many cemeteries with gravestones that are nearly 200 years old, there were leaning monuments, fallen headstones, and eroded inscriptions. It was a sad remembrance for those whose lives were commemorated there.
Andrea’s background as a teacher gave her a gift for curiosity, for asking the questions: Who are these people? Why is their marker broken? What can we do to help them speak again? Armed with that sense of purpose, she approached the township council to request funds. She offered free labor and rallied volunteers: fellow teachers, family members, cemetery-lovers. In time, cleaning and restoration began.
Why It Matters
Why restore old headstones? Why take photos of gravestones? The answer lies in respect, in memory, in our connection to the past. A cemetery is more than a final resting place. It is a map of heritage.
When a headstone falls or a marker disappears, an individual’s story becomes harder to trace. For genealogists, historians, and descendants, that loss is felt. The restoration at Evergreen is about restoring dignity and access.
As one volunteer put it: “This stone was begging to be fixed!!” (They realized later that it belonged to three young siblings who all passed away within the same week.)
Volunteers of All Ages
Andrea’s enthusiasm for the work is contagious.
Girard Township approved and funded work on the older stones that needed restoration. Others continue to donate to the cause.
Community volunteers scrape moss and lichen from marble, reset tilted pillars, remove dirt from inscriptions, take before-and-after photographs, document with the BillionGraves app, and even host community events to raise awareness. Andrea’s father and mother-in-law often work by her side, mixing cement or moving wheelbarrows full of dirt. At 75, her mother volunteers weekly.
Andrea’s children have spent many summer days helping with the work. She said, “I am a believer that children should be volun-told until they volun-teer! It is important to teach our children the importance of service to our communities.”
Together, they have restored 300 gravestones over the past four summers.
Restoring Headstones Step by Step
Here are some of the steps Evergreen Cemetery volunteers undertake:
- Community outreach: Local students and civic groups are invited to participate.
- Assessment & documentation: Each stone is logged and photographed with the condition noted.
- Stabilization: Stones that have tipped, cracked, or sunk are straightened and reset with safe, historically appropriate methods.
- Cleaning: Using gentle, non-abrasive brushes and water, volunteers remove organic growth that is accelerating erosion. Gravestones are cleaned with D-2 cleaning solution, which brightens the stones over time. Learn more about the best practices for gravestone cleaning HERE.
- Recording & uploading: Every restored headstone has been recorded on the BillionGraves website, so family members, researchers, and genealogists around the world can access it.
Honoring Civil War Veterans
Some gravestone restorations require more equipment than others.
In 2023, Andrea wrote, “Had to bring out the big guns today. George Baker came out of retirement to help us raise two Civil War Veteran gravestones to honor the 4th of July holiday. If you look at the dirt line on the stones, it is amazing to see how much they were buried and tilted.”
Henry Spaulding served in Company C of the 11th Michigan Infantry, and Giles Gardner Gordon served in Company C of the 19th Michigan Infantry. Andrea said, “We appreciate our vets and will always remember their sacrifice.”
Setbacks
On August 29, 2022, a significant thunderstorm swept across southern Michigan. This storm system brought strong straight-line winds with gusts up to 60 -75 mph.
Three huge pine trees toppled onto the gravestones.
Fortunately, granite is stronger than wood, so the gravestones survived, but many needed to be reset.
Stories in the Stones
A Rooster in the Graveyard
Some damaged gravestones have shattered into pieces over the years, like this one for Versal Porter.
Today, Versal’s memorial has been restored. His epitaph reveals that he was a Green Mountain Volunteer in the Battle of Plattsburgh in New York during the War of 1812. Between the gravestones of Versal Porter and his wife, Mary Ann, there is a proud rooster.
Why a rooster? On September 11, 1814, the British fired a cannonball at the American ship USS Saratoga, which smashed a crate on deck that was filled with chickens. This released an indignant rooster, which flew to the railing of the ship and crowed loudly. The Americans took this as a brave rally cry to battle, and went on to courageously defeat the British. This battle ended the final invasion of the northern United States.
The farmer who raised that “plucky” rooster was none other than Versal Porter.
“Let’s Shake on It”
The gravestones of Lyman and Mary Aldrich were nearly lost to history, as they were buried under grass and dirt.
Andrea gradually uncovered her “new friends”.
With some gentle scrubbing, seam repairs, and biological cleaner, Lyman and Mary Aldrich’s gravestones gradually went from buried to beautiful!
The Aldrich gravestones have engravings of handshakes on them, a symbol of farewell and a promise to meet again. The handshake on Lyman’s gravestone is beneath a veil, representing the veil between heaven and earth. To learn more about hand symbols on gravestones, click HERE.
How You Can Help
Imagine family trees with hidden branches, perhaps long dismissed because the marker was unreadable. Now, a clean headstone, a photo, and a record with a clear inscription allow someone, somewhere, to find their ancestor. That’s the real power of this work: connecting the past with the present.
Here are some ways you can get involved:
- Visit “The Friends of Evergreen Cemetery, Girard, Michigan” Facebook group to learn how you can contribute financially or volunteer in person to restore headstones.
- Visit your local cemetery and take photos of gravestones with the BillionGraves app on your smartphone. To get started, go to the app store on your phone, download the BillionGraves app, set up an account, and head out to a cemetery. Learn more HERE. If you need help, email us at Volunteer@BillionGraves.com.
- Use the BillionGraves website to find your ancestors. Then expand your family tree by using the BillionGraves “Nearby Graves” feature. Get started HERE.
- Once you find your ancestor’s final resting place on BillionGraves, share the link with family members, local libraries, or schools—this helps raise awareness of the value of cemetery preservation.
- Spread the word. Tell your genealogy groups, historical societies, and friends interested in preservation that a project like this exists. Then encourage them to look up the cemetery on BillionGraves’ website after the photos have been uploaded.
- Consider donating time or funds to your local cemetery. You could support restoring headstones whose condition may require professional intervention or help purchase materials like epoxy, stone-safe cleaners, or leveling materials.
A final thought
What’s next for Andrea? She is considering creating a walking history tour of the cemetery by preserving stories on BillionGraves for each gravestone. Every BillionGraves photo is tagged with GPS coordinates. This allows visitors to use the BillionGraves app on their phones to find specific gravestones and read about the person buried there. She would specifically love to see students use this as a learning tool.
As a teacher, Andrea understands that our stories matter. And in a cemetery like Evergreen, history isn’t hidden in books; it’s carved in stone. When those stones lean, fade, or fall, the story becomes harder to hear. But with persistence, care, and community, those voices can still speak.
The next time you walk past a headstone, take a moment. Perhaps it’s speaking. Perhaps you can help it be heard.
Happy Cemetery Hopping!
Cathy Wallace
