Please preserve historic Bratton Cemetery

To the Editor:

Recently, I was in the Juniata Valley seeking to discover genealogy information and see where my ancestors settled in the mid-1700s. I was in awe of the natural beauty all around. The drive up the ridges and the views down into the valleys of Mifflin County were simply stunning. How blessed you are to be surrounded by such glory.

My ancestor, William Junkin, lived and died in this valley, initially taking out a warrant for 150 acres in 1766 south of the Juniata River across from the current town of McVeytown. He served in the Revolutionary War and later became an entrepreneur by establishing three mills (known colloquially as the Junkin Mills) on his various properties. His contemporaries were early pioneers Andrew Bratton and Samuel Holliday – the Bratton family for whom Bratton township is named. The focus of my visit was to find the Bratton Cemetery. My daughter and I drove west from Mattawana along the public road that parallels the river. However, we are unable to drive to the cemetery due to a locked gate that barred further travel. We walked ½ mile or so to the cemetery and found that it was in a derelict condition. It is obvious that it has not been cared for in decades, which is very sad. The stone wall surrounding the cemetery is there, but large trees, bracken and undergrowth have taken over unabated. There are some upright tombstones in the cemetery, but I fear that many more have fallen and/or been covered by earth.

The purpose of my letter is to plead and implore the township or county or historical civic group to take pride of place and work to maintain the integrity of the cemetery before it is lost to history or swallowed up by farming or nearby camping. There are Revolutionary War soldiers buried there (my ancestor being one of them) and other frontier pioneers who lay forgotten. As we observe the 250th anniversary of America’s independence, we should give thanks and honor those men and women who served and sacrificed for the freedom we enjoy. We should honor them by ensuring that their resting place is maintained and secured for future generations.

I am willing to return to the valley and physically help with cleanup efforts if an individual(s) or group is willing to take on the challenge of maintaining the cemetery. I cannot cut down or move large trees (some of which have been shoved up against and onto the stone wall of the cemetery and knocking over some tombstones), but I can cut and clear brambles and haul out trash that has been dumped into the cemetery by disrespectful individuals. Instead of just writing and whining about the situation, I am willing to bend my back and provide toil and sweat to help complete the cleanup.

People of Mifflin County, please take my plea seriously and work to rectify this shameful situation by maintaining the Bratton Cemetery to keep it from further degradation. Please help preserve our precious history.

Yours sincerely,

Jeanne Junkin Fowler

Earlham, Iowa

Jesus sacrificed himself for the sins of his people

To the Editor:

Because the nation of Israel had not lived up to God’s righteous requirements, the law given to Moses had to include a means of atonement. A system of sacrifices was set up to pardon the sins of individual people, including the priest, on a daily basis. There was also one day set aside every year where a sacrifice was made for the whole nation. This was the day of Atonement. The high priest had to make a sin offering for himself first. Then two goats were used, one for a sin offering for the people, and one for a scapegoat. The sin offering for the people was killed and the blood was sprinkled in the tabernacle, including the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the holy place. Then the high priest would lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over him all the sins of the nation, putting them on the head of the goat. The goat bearing the sins was then lead into the wilderness to die outside their habitation (Lev.16:9-22).

When Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross, He was both the sin offering and the scapegoat. His crucifixion took place outside the city and He bore all the sins in His body for those He was atoning for. He bore the liability for the accrued sins, He removed the wrath of God bearing the judgement required by God for the sins of those He died for (Rom.3:25; 1Jn.4;10).

He achieved in the sacrifice of Himself once and for all what was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to accomplish being offered daily (Heb.10:4,10). He sacrificed Himself once for the sins of His people and set down on the right hand of God (Heb10:11-12) to mediate between man and God forever (1Tim.2:5).

Jim Batt

Mexico, Pa.