BY JONAS BEALS

The Stafford Historic Commission recently honored Debbi Shelton with its 2008 historic preservation award. The late Charles and Mary Roberson probably would have approved.

Because of Shelton and her friends on the Stafford County Cemetery Committee, the Robersons, who were buried in their home's backyard in the early 1900s, are no longer beneath the parking lot that was subsequently put in that location.

The Roberson site sits on property owned by the Access Eye Center at the corner of Forbes Street and U.S. 1.

Shelton said the business inadvertently paved over the site, and has been very cooperative in the restoration project. Soon, there will be a fence around the cemetery, with a sign marking the spot.

Research on her own genealogy led Shelton to the Robersons.

"I had a personal agenda when I first started," she said of her time on the cemetery committee. "Now, my goal is to help other people find their lost family."

Shelton and the other volunteers on the cemetery committee have created an extensive database of the county's burial sites. As of last week, 436 cemeteries have been identified. She works with the county to flag the locations so landowners know what exists on their properties.

"We found a cemetery recently that was covered by a house 20 years ago," Shelton said. "People are walking on the cemetery, but I don't think there's anything we can do about that now."

Burial plots tend to fade from memory as families move and markers weather away. Shelton believes the rapid growth in Stafford has done more than just put houses on the ground.

"We're finding cemeteries that are just gone," she said. "They've been excavated away."

More than just documenting grave sites, the committee is trying to preserve Stafford's history in a very literal way. For many people, cemeteries offer a concrete link to a place, as well as the past. Shelton discovered the importance of making those long-lost connections, and wants others to have the same experience.

"We're helping people out," she said. "We are making sure that things like the Roberson cemetery never happen again."

It is a personal victory for Shelton and an example of the good work done by the cemetery committee. She is the fourth consecutive member of the committee to win the award.

"We've gotten the word out that we're the ones to call, and we're getting new cemeteries all the time," Shelton said. "It really is rewarding."

Jonas Beals: 540/368-5036
Email: jbeals@freelancestar.com