I don’t believe David Griffin has yet been successful in finding anyone to help with the clean up of Metcalf Cemetery. I made a commitment to David and also collected some additional dollars from cousins and told David to let me know when he secured some help so I could transfer the money. That was last year in 2010. I have not heard anything from him yet.
Like Bob Thompson, I too am a great great grandson of William Milton Tate. I live in Gallatin, Mo just 20 miles away. A young man has recently constructed a new home to the southwest of the cemetery. It makes it more difficult to access it. He is a very friendly young bachelor and is not only very aware of the cemetery that is almost in his back yard but he is very receptive to people visiting the location.
I have visited this cemetery many times. I also have visited Bratton Cemetery since the days I accompanied my grandmother there each year for “Decoration Day”. It is several—5 or 6—miles to the south of Metacalf on W black top. There are many Tates burried there as well.
Fianlly, someone on this blog ask about history books. There are several books that have been published recently. Not knowing what you all have and do not have, I can say that there is a Grundy County book of the past couple of years and within the past five years is a very complete two book series that was done. You can also get Township copies of the 1898 and 1915 Grundy County Plat Books at the Grundy County Recorders office that show land parcels and it has the owners names on those parcels. Very interesting to see. I think there are a lot of Metcalfs on those land parcels.