JACKSONVILLE, Ark. (KTHV) -- The ruins of an old cemetery is buried under the weeds of time.
But one man's interest in his own genealogy, led him on a quest to restore the site.
The burial site, known as Ebenezer Cemetery, has approximately 80 headstones that date back to the Civil War era.
Rob Laxton is a Jacksonville resident who has ancestors buried there. He is working with the Arkansas Historic Preservation Society to restore the ground.
"Not only is it my grandparents buried here but it's got three Civil War veterans who are buried here," Laxton said. "My third great-grandfather, James Washington Boyd was in the Civil War in Tennessee, and his brother Joseph Boyd was in the Civil War in Mississippi. And Joseph Boyd's son Jesse was also in the Civil War."
An estimated 80 headstones are in Ebenezer Cemetery, marking the graves of men, women and children from the mid-1800s to the late 1800s.
"Many of them are just actually marked with rocks and some rocks have initials on them of the people who were buried in it," Laxton said.
The ground became neglected after the Ebenezer Cumberland Presbyterian Church burned down in 1987.
Due to old deeds and old survey lines, two landowners lay claim to the ground.
Both support Laxton's project.
"It actually lies in a piece of undetermined land...Mr. [Larry] Holman would like to, instead of giving it to the city wants to give it to me, to help take care of and preserve it, and maybe even put a nicer fence up and a nice sign for the church, the cemetery and all that," Laxton said.
He stressed the importance of recognizing this piece of Arkansas history.
"When something like this is lost, future generations will just think it's a piece of land and never know anything about this place," Laxton added.
A clean-up day is scheduled for August 18th beginning at 8 a.m.