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Now that you've
located that long lost cemetery and found it to be in
dire need of cleaning and restoration work, the first
and most important step that you need to take is to
determine who currently owns the land the cemetery is
located on. The main reason for this is to obtain
permission to enter the property and do the work that
you feel is needed. Cemetery records generally take two
forms: records documenting ownership of plots, and
interment registers which document burials in the plots
in the cemetery. For genealogical purposes, interment
registers are usually the most useful, though they vary
in content from cemetery to cemetery. Plot ownership
records may also contain data about the individuals
buried in the graves. Please keep in mind that in many
cases the cemetery will be located on private property
and legally you will be required to obtain permission
before entering. Saving Graves offers a
template
permission form that may be used to obtain
permission. In many instances, the property owner will
reside on the same land, or there may be others living
nearby that will be able to assist you in determining
ownership. However there will be many times where this
will not the case and you will need to do some research
to determine the cemetery ownership.
There are several resources that
may be of assistance to you:
- Local Funeral
Homes
Many times a local funeral home will retain
records pertaining to a burial in a given cemetery
that will include among other items, the name of the
person that owned the land where the cemetery is
located upon at the time of burial. You may also
find other information regarding the cemetery such
as plat maps showing the location of graves that may
no longer be marked.
- County
Courthouse
By researching the land records you should be
able to determine who the current property owner is
and how to contact them. You also may want to
research the ownership history of the land to see
how the cemetery was set up originally and by who.
- Historical and
/or Genealogical Societies
Good resources for locating the history of
specific cemeteries There are several good web based
resources that index these groups and provide
contact information. These include:
Society Hill
Federation of Genealogical Societies - Society Hall
Historical and Genealogical Societies of the United
States
- Local Libraries
Yet another great resource for locating the
history of specific cemeteries. An index to United
States libraries can be found at the following
location:
PublicLibraries.com
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