We met at 9 AM on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at Magoffin Granite in Salyersville KY. Todd Preston and Henry Clay Sizemore left with the metal cemetery sign and A. B. Conley's "donated" boards to put them in as a foot bridge. On Tuesday I had taken a Don Salyers from Indiana to one of his ancestor's grave. Don was born at Hendricks KY and had moved to Indiana as a boy. He expressed a desire to see some Kentucky hills. I promised him if he would meet us at Magoffin Granite the following morning he would get his wish. Don Salyers, Jack Sizemore, Jack Sizemore Jr., Randall Risner, Paul Burchell's men and I headed to Owls nest with the markers and met up with Todd and Henry Clay. John Britton had a bad disc in his back and had to leave the day before for home in Ohio for scheduled back surgery.

The smaller marker for Elizabeth "Short Betty" Risner weighed about 160 pounds. One of the Mexican men strapped it to his back and carried it from the bottom to the top. We were all amazed as he never stopped once. The larger marker for Elias Risner weighed about 250 pounds. We laid it on a hand truck cross ways and strapped it down. One man got on the front pulling and two men on the back pushing. For the last 100 feet we tied a pulley to a tree at the top, ran a rope through the pulley and tied it on to the handle of the hand truck. Randall Risner and I pulled going downhill while three men pushed the hand truck uphill and we got it up the last 100 feet to the cemetery. With a posthole digger and a shovel we set the two granite grave markers and the cemetery sign in concrete. A tired and satisfied group of men spent some time reflecting on the day and the significance of this cemetery. There appeared to be at least 20-25 unmarked graves. Based on where Elias Risner's parents Michael and Sarah Howard Risner lived when they died, it is a probable they are also buried here. The Elias Risner marker was dedicated to the memory of David Risner who so wanted to see these graves found and marked. John and Debbie Britton came back the Friday after Thanksgiving in 2009 and made the long climb up to the Elias Risner Cemetery to honor his old ancestor. Thanks go to many. Thanks to John and Debbie Britton for their generosity and encouragement. Thanks to Magoffin Granite as they made it physically possible. Thanks to the Magoffin County Historical Society and Todd Preston for his 30 plus years of searching for this grave. Thanks to the Patrick family at Owls Nest for granting permission to place the markers and making us welcome. Thanks to David Risner for his knowledge and his dream to see this come about. Thanks to Jack, Randall, Herley and Henry Clay for the hard work.

Bob Whittaker