Hi,

It is common practice to lay down tombstones when a cemetery is "abandoned", in other words - no longer in active use. Grass is then allowed to grow over the tombstones. Since you say it was found during gardening, I would guess that the stone was one among others, and that it was above a burial. Although, as others have pointed out, it could have been stolen from a cemetery, or an unused tombstone. 

My recommendation is to talk to the town/county historian, the local cemetery society, and the local (state?) archaeologist. They would make recommendations, and may want to record the cemetery if it is "lost". 

They would probably look at historic maps, site files, etc. If the tombstone is from a known cemetery, is the cemetery listed on the National/State Registers of Historic Places? 

If it was stolen, the local cemetery society may know its original location, and may be able to return it to its proper place.

You do not tell us the dates on the stone, so the implications of the stone's original location are unclear. You should provide that information to the historian/archaeologist. Is it 18th century? Late 19th? or early 20th? Of course, that does not give the age of the cemetery itself, which could span all three centuries. But it would give an idea of the legal issues (for your jurisdiction) and the significance of the "find". 


Rebecca J. Emans, PhD, RPA
PhD, Archaeology, SUNY-Buffalo 2007
MA, Archaeology, UTennessee-Knoxville





      

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