FROM 1956 TO 1996
THE MINUTES ARE THE SUM OF OUR YEARS
By Carrie Ann Green, Secretary

More so than any other Board position the Secretary creates the most complete historical document of the Dayton Cemetery Association. Every Board report — care fund, treasurer, grounds, nominating, all the new and old business show up in the minutes, an overview of the Association’s changing concerns and how we’ve changed over time. In the beginning, the Cemetery Association had the simple goal of putting the Cemetery back into respectable shape. There was grass to cut, poison ivy to eradicate, fences to be painted…

Over the next several years the Association worked on membership. May 30, 1959, Secretary Mabel Greene Myers wrote in that a committee was formed “to locate descendants of persons buried in the cemetery so that they could be informed of the Association’s activities and given the opportunity to contribute to the perpetual upkeep of the cemetery.” Equally important, the Association worked to “present a plan for the future conduct of the cemetery in a legal and businesslike manner.” Issues of note included acquiring Mr. Calhoun’s land for a road into the cemetery that did not cross a farmyard, obtaining a new survey since the current one was inaccurate, putting up a new fence, and taking down a rotted tree.

A new era for the Dayton Cemetery Association began in the 60’s when for the first time we presented historical programs. President Grace Clifford encouraged people to write “Historical Recollections.” Three of these “historical recollections” were read at the annual meeting, May 30, 1964. The response was to establish the position of Historian and we’ve had historical programs ever since. The focus of the annual meeting changed from mere cemetery up-keep to that of a yearly family reunion where preserving our pioneer cemetery is just one of the ways we preserve family history for our children.

May 29, 1966, Secretary Dorothy Masters wrote of the special events that marked our 10th anniversary as an Association, “In observation of the 10th anniversary Mrs. Summins presented a birthday cake with 10 lighted candles, and honored Mrs. Mabel Greene Myers for ‘the inspiration, vision and perseverance in creating a lasting memorial to our ancestors,’ Sandra Dunavan, age 4, the daughter of Louise and Richard Dunavan, blew out the candles, ‘in the hope that the youth of our association will catch and nurture the spark so wisely lighted by Mrs. Myers.'” There was purpose greater than the maintenance of a cemetery; it was the maintenance of family ties and family traditions.

Over the years, it became clear from the minutes that besides Mrs. Myers, there were two other people who were instrumental in creating an Association which has lasted for forty years…Charles and Grace Clifford. October 23, 1977, Secretary Alice Green writes, “Grounds Chairman, Charles Clifford, reported that a tornado last summer had done considerable damage. Several trees had toppled over and one had broken off…Lots of work had been done to clean up the cemetery after the storm.” Unfortunately this type of report was typical; there always seemed to be roads to gravel, dirt to spread, trees to cut down and move, not to mention the annual mowing required for a presentable cemetery and all of it handled by the Cliffords. Nearly every annual meeting minutes from the past twenty years closes with a thank you to the Cliffords for their service and hospitality. It is a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. October 11th, 1992, Secretary Carrie Green writes, “Meeting in the cemetery, Board members planted the red maple tree. The tree is intended as a living thank you to Charles and Grace Clifford for their years of selfless service on behalf of the Dayton Cemetery Association. It was a beautiful, although chilly, afternoon. The majestic yellow wall of corn stalks from the neighboring field stood solemn witness to our tree planting.”

In conclusion, the minutes of the Dayton Cemetery Association tell about the business of coming together as a family; of the families that first took sickles to grass that towered above their children’s heads in 1956, of the ten men who in 1961 chopped down an old elm tree that had rotted, of the male Board members in 1991 who spent an entire afternoon lifting fifteen of the thirty-nine stones toppled by vandals and would later obtain a hoist to lift up all the remaining stones (except two which were too large to be moved). Repeatedly, if there was a need, the members of this association would gather to provide a solution. Congratulate yourselves! Happy 40th Anniversary, Dayton Cemetery Association!