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John Hollenhorst Reporting For the second year in a row, a South Jordan boy is spending most of Memorial Day weekend in a cemetery!
He put up with snow last year and rain this year to swap information with people who come to pay respects to their loved ones.
It's not often a kid winds up on the History Channel because of his Eagle Scout project. But then, not many Eagle Scouts latch on to a cemetery and launch a project as ambitious as this one.
At the old Bingham Cemetery, Brad Jencks is the "go-to" guy.
He shares information with people who come around Memorial Day looking for the graves of long-dead distant relatives.
Rick Tyson/ Lehi Resident: "It means a lot to us, of where we come from and the tragedies and the struggles that our ancestors did for us."
But until a couple of years ago, many graves were unmarked, undocumented, and poorly kept up. There used to be beer bottles and broken glass along with the flowers.
Ruth Tyson/ Lehi Resident: "So this is gorgeous. It looks a lot better."
It's better because Brad Jencks and 250 volunteers cleaned the place up. They fixed headstones and gave the place a new look.
But Brad also collected vast amounts of information from scattered sources about who's buried where, and why. He published a massive volume of data on the Bingham Cemetery, and he distributes it on the internet.
Brad Jencks/ Eagle Scout: "People from all over the world, 30 countries, 38 states, can find their ancestors and say, 'Hey, I think that's cool.' They can email me and I can connect them with other family members in Utah."
Ruth Tyson: "I will certainly go home and check out the website. That's awesome."
Last year, Brad lived in a motor home at the cemetery for the entire Memorial Day weekend. This year he's also spending long hours using his data to help people re-connect with the past.
Rick Tyson/ Lehi Resident: "Well, it tells us who we are and where we come from. And it gives meaning to our ancestors who have passed on."
Brad Jencks/ Eagle Scout: "It preserved a chunk of history. Now we have it for the rest of forever. So it will never, ever go away."
Brad will be at the cemetery all day tomorrow, from about 7 am until dark.
You can find more information about the project and the cemetery at the link in the box above, or by email at binghamcemeteryinfo@jensgroup.com.
