Cemetery Genealogy News

Controversial roadside crosses; religious symbols or symbol of death?

2009-03-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

"...A federal appeals court is weighing Utah's use of crosses on roadside memorials honoring fallen highway patrol troopers, trying to decide if they are an endorsement of religion or a nonreligious, secular symbol of death.

A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Monday in the case involving what the group American Atheists called "heroic-size" 12-foot-high crosses placed along state highways...."

"...Luke Goodrich, an attorney with The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, argued on behalf of Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas, which asked to argue because the case could affect memorials in their states. Goodrich asked the judges to decide the case not on the religiousness of crosses, but on whether the state provides a neutral forum for expression. A joint resolution by the Utah Legislature in 2006 declared the cross a nonreligious, secular symbol of death, Roberts said...."

This story appeared in headlines in several states. I would have never imagined that the cross was a mere symbol of death. Nevermind the foundations of the US based on religious freedom that primarily excludes itself from state affairs or when it does become inclusive, it is controversial. Now there is a judge deciding whether or not the cross is religious?

See news story URL

FLORIDA, LONDON, ZIMBABWEI, SOUTH CAROLINA, PENNSYLVANIA, ILLINOIS, ALASKA

2009-03-07T13:29:00.000-08:00

FLORIDA, LONDON, ZIMBABWEI, SOUTH CAROLINA, PENNSYLVANIA, ILLINOIS, ALASKA
Today's Cemetery Genealogy News
March 7, 2009

Mortal congestion

2009-02-21T21:19:00.000-08:00

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News
NEBRASKA, CANADA, NEVADA, ILLINOIS, JAKARTA, INDIA, OHIO

"In truth, if mortal congestion doesn't get you tossed from your mummy chamber, erosion, acts of God and global warming just might." - Rosie DiManno.

Burial space on my list of worries TheStar.com, Rosie DiManno.

The whole statement made me laugh. "Mortal congestion..."

ALASKA, OHIO, INDIA, NORTH CAROLINA,LOUISIANA, PENNSYLVANIA,TEXAS,THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

2009-02-19T10:50:00.000-08:00

ALASKA, OHIO, INDIA, NORTH CAROLINA,LOUISIANA, PENNSYLVANIA,TEXAS,THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
Todays Cemetery Genealogy News.

There is one article that didn't make the list that I'd like to share.

Bodies pile up due to cold snap. Deadly cold snap has led to month's delay in funerals
Grieving families are being forced to wait more than a month to bury their dead as Britain struggles to cope with the worst winter in 13 years.

Full Story:
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1140322/Deadly-cold-snap-led-months-delay-funerals.html

10 February 2009
www.dailymail.co.uk

In other odd bits of news a Canadian online newspaper published a list of 10 world famous cemeteries. Two of which happen to be in the United States.

Alabama, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Yorkshire UK

2009-02-04T21:54:00.000-08:00

More about Mississippi's Vicksburg Green Acres

"..the investigation now spans the owners’ holdings in five states, which
complicates efforts to obtain financial information..."
AND
"the same company that owns Green Acres has been the subject of several similar legal actions in Alabama, Texas, Kansas and Missouri, with $2.9 million in prepaid funds missing from its Alabama holdings alone. Hosemann’s office said a months-long inquiry showed more than $373,000 is missing from the trust account here and the account balance is $221.90.The 15-acre cemetery on U.S. 80 is the area’s only commercial, for-profit cemetery..."
More from the list

Mississippi cemetery regulatory commission

2009-02-02T17:51:00.000-08:00

Technically, all Mississippians are on this commission. What has actually happened with the monies that were given to Green Acres since 2001? The year will forever remain infamous in my mind and the minds of many. I'm not certain that people remember the news stories about the number of bankruptcies that occurred after 9-11-01. A little background on the story from the headlines today February 2, 2009 on Topica.

"Mississippi is one of the few states that does not have a regulatory board over cemeteries, and now we're seeing that cemeteries can have problems that need some oversight," Riles said. "There will be a law that comes out of this, you can count on it. To go through all this and have no good result come from it would be a sin."

DITTO

"Bills have been introduced in the Legislature would form a loss-recovery program and other measures to protect people who have paid for pre-need burial services, said Hosemann.

"I think this is the largest cemetery failure in the state of Mississippi that I have ever known of," said Riles, who has been in the business 49 years."

I let Google do my digging around about Mississippi Cemetery Law. Here are a few gems worth reading.

MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972
As Amended

SEC. 41-43-33. Who is subject to cemetery law.

Any person, partnership, corporation or other organization organized or engaging in business under the laws of the state of Mississippi, or wheresoever organized and doing business in the state of Mississippi, of owning, maintaining or operating a cemetery, providing lots or other interment space therein for the remains of human bodies, except such organizations and cemeteries which are affiliated with or owned by churches or religious societies, established fraternal societies, municipalities, or other political subdivisions of the state of Mississippi, shall be subject to the provisions of sections 41-43-31 to 41-43-53.

SOURCES: Codes, 1942, Sec. 5308-02; Laws, 1958, ch. 481, Sec. 2, eff from and after passage (approved May 6, 1958).

http://www.mscode.com/free/statutes/41/043/0033.htm

From the Law Office of Robert Paine -
Mississippi Attorney General Opinions on Cemetery and Funeral Home Law - HTML
The same file in PDF

From the list:
Feb. 2, 2009 — Chancery Court hearing set for 9 a.m. to begin legal
proceedings to restore and protect trust funds, assess penalties, appoint a
conservator and obtain a permanent injunction prohibiting Green Acres
from selling pre-need...

MASSACHUSETTS, MISSISSIPPI, IRAN, UK

2009-02-02T17:47:00.000-08:00

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News

This blog

2009-01-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

This blog hasn't faded away... it has just been dormant for awhile.
Still here:)

New Mexico, New York, Bermuda, Hawaii-Maui, April 9, 2008

2008-04-10T16:38:00.000-07:00

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News - New Mexico, New York, Bermuda, Hawaii-Maui, April 9, 2008

VERMONT, OKLAHOMA, CONNECTICUT, NEW YORK,

2008-04-05T06:49:00.000-07:00

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News - VERMONT, OKLAHOMA, CONNECTICUT, NEW YORK, April 5, 2008

Ohio, Texas, Maryland, Pennsylvania

2008-04-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News - Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, Maryland, April 1, 2008.

Search

2008-03-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

Custom Search

I've attempted to use the Topica search box on the message mailing list several times to no avail. It seems that Topica works only when it wants to and the search feature does not work at all. Have no fear Google Search is here, however, Topica does not format their page titles to the name of this list. All of the pages searched will have the title "Topica Email List" and will NOT allow for search for the date of the post to the list i.e "04/01/08". I attempted to solve that issue with a message text of all dates in that format, where Google did not find that page either. It appears that even after adding the page to the Custom Google search that Topica possibly is not allowing Google to search or view the page *it does not exist* even after a link to the page was added to the Customized Google Search Engine. Google Custom Search cannot find the word "Google" on the mailing list!

New Domain for RootsWeb Sites

2008-03-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

Oh bother... does this mean that all of the urls within websites pointing to other rootsweb sites will have to be changed as well? What a bunch of crud! From the mailing lists at RootsWeb! Please forward to all Project lists. Tina Vickery National Coordinator USGenWeb Project ____ RootsWeb Announcement As you know, The Generations Network has hosted and funded the RootsWeb online community since June 2000, thereby maintaining RootsWeb as the world's oldest and largest free genealogy website. TGN remains committed to this mission and believes that RootsWeb is an absolutely invaluable and complementary resource to Ancestry.com, our flagship commercial family history site. We believe in both services and want to see both communities prosper and grow. As part of this goal, we have decided to "transplant" RootsWeb onto the Ancestry.com domain beginning next week. This move will not change the RootsWeb experience or alter the ease of navigation to or within RootsWeb. RootsWeb will remain a free online experience. What will be different is that the Web address for all RootsWeb pages will change from www.rootsweb.com to www.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Again, the RootsWeb experience is not changing. The decision to host RootsWeb on Ancestry.com is being made for one primary reason: we believe that the users of each of our two main websites can be better served if they have access to the best services available on both. Simply stated, we want to introduce more Ancestry.com users to RootsWeb and vice versa. Today, despite the fact that Ancestry.com and RootsWeb.com are the two most frequently visited family history sites on the Web, only 25 percent of visitors to Ancestry.com visited RootsWeb in January 2008, while only 20 percent of visitors to RootsWeb visited Ancestry.com (according to Comscore Media Metrix). We think we will serve our users best by doing a better job of letting them know what is available on both Ancestry.com and RootsWeb. Hosting RootsWeb on Ancestry.com is the first step towards making this happen, but we will absolutely look for more and better ways down the road to advance this goal. Hosting RootsWeb on Ancestry.com will also make it easier for us to make changes and improvements to the RootsWeb experience in the future. All old RootsWeb URLs will continue to work, whether they are bookmarks or favorites, links to or from a hosted page or URLs manually typed in your Internet browser. We will have a redirect in place so that all old URLs will automatically end up on the appropriate new RootsWeb URL. You will never need to update your old favorites or links unless you want to. We have worked to make the transition as seamless as possible for our users, and this change should have a minimal impact on your experience with the site. RootsWeb will remain a free online experience dedicated to providing you with a place where our community can find their roots together. If you have questions regarding this change please email them to feedback@rootsweb.com. Thanks, Tim Sullivan CEO The Generations Network, Inc.

DNA and WPA c. 20,000 years ago and the 1930's

2008-03-14T06:27:00.000-07:00

This is incredible! From Today's Cemetery Genealogy News March 14, 2008

Study Suggests Most Native Americans Can Trace Some DNA Back 20,000 Years to Just 6 Women, By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer "NEW YORK (Associated Press) -- Nearly all of today's Native Americans in North, Central and South America can trace part of their ancestry to six women whose descendants immigrated around 20,000 years ago, a DNA study suggests.

Those women left a particular DNA legacy that persists to today in about about 95 percent of Native Americans, researchers said...."

PLoS One: http://www.plosone.org
(This version CORRECTS explanation of mitochondrial DNA))

A WPA project in the 1930's allowed for Veteran headstone removal and destruction

Military Headstones Used for Garden
Philadelphia Inquirer | By Maya Rao and Sam Wood | March 14, 2008
BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP, Penn. - Federal authorities are trying to solve an unlikely mystery:

How did hundreds of gravestones that once marked the final resting places of military veterans come to form a garden wall in a 90-year-old man's Burlington Township yard?..."

"...Hendley said she has asked federal officials to check historical records that would corroborate Nixon's story. The records would be held by the U.S. Army, which oversaw the national cemetery system until it was transferred to the Veterans Administration in the 1970s..."

ALABAMA, SOUTH CAROLINA, NEVADA, CALIFORNIA, PA, LOUISIANA, NJ, OHIO, NEBRASKA, FRANCE,

2008-03-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News - ALABAMA, SOUTH CAROLINA, NEVADA, CALIFORNIA, PA, LOUISIANA, NJ, OHIO, NEBRASKA, FRANCE March 14, 2008

Saving Graves

2008-02-18T10:37:00.000-08:00

Saving Graves has its new website up and running. It offers a new website forum, blog, news and local contacts for cemetery preservation.

VIRGINIA, NEW YORK, INDIANA, CONNECTICUTT, AUSTRALIA

2008-02-18T08:35:00.000-08:00

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News
February 18, 2008 - Today's news was rather large. There are three or four posts including: MISSISSIPPI, GEORGIA, VIRGINIA, TEXAS, VIRGINIA, NEW YORK, INDIANA, CONNECTICUTT, AUSTRALIA, Tennessee, UK, Alabama.

The Genographic Project : National Geographic and IBM

2008-02-17T06:21:00.000-08:00

The Topica List produced a story I missed two years ago about The Genographic Project. I usually catch the Today show, but I missed the November 2005 broadcast that announced it and, unfortunately, I have been in the dark about this project since then. Tribal Pages is one genealogy website that will trace migration patterns if you already have your ancestors locations pinpointed. The project is scheduled for completion in 2010, a five year ordeal. The IBM PDF page on the project indicates that there will be updates available on the projects results, however, a brief study of the website did not offer results. I'll have to look into it further in order to clarify whether or not the results are available to those who are not participating in the project. I thought that it was interesting and educational that a school was involved in studying DNA analysis, as well. It was the following story that led me to The Genographic Project.

"...National Geographic and IBM are now in the midst of the international "Genographic Project" documenting the genealogy of hundreds of thousands of people around the world..." MISSOURI, High school project traces students' genetic roots, Steve Giegerich, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 17, 2008.

The National Geographic Society, IBM, geneticist Spencer Wells, and the Waitt Family Foundation have launched the Genographic Project, a five-year effort to understand the human journey—where we came from and how we got to where we live today. This unprecedented effort will map humanity's genetic journey through the ages.

The fossil record fixes human origins in Africa, but little is known about the great journey that took Homo sapiens to the far reaches of the Earth. How did we, each of us, end up where we are? Why do we appear in such a wide array of different colors and features?

Such questions are even more amazing in light of genetic evidence that we are all related—descended from a common African ancestor who lived only 60,000 years ago.

Though eons have passed, the full story remains clearly written in our genes—if only we can read it. With your help, we can.

When DNA is passed from one generation to the next, most of it is recombined by the processes that give each of us our individuality.

But some parts of the DNA chain remain largely intact through the generations, altered only occasionally by mutations which become "genetic markers." These markers allow geneticists like Spencer Wells to trace our common evolutionary timeline back through the ages.

"The greatest history book ever written," Wells says, "is the one hidden in our DNA."

Different populations carry distinct markers. Following them through the generations reveals a genetic tree on which today's many diverse branches may be followed ever backward to their common African root.

Our genes allow us to chart the ancient human migrations from Africa across the continents. Through one path, we can see living evidence of an ancient African trek, through India, to populate even isolated Australia.

But to fully complete the picture we must greatly expand the pool of genetic samples available from around the world. Time is short.

In a shrinking world, mixing populations are scrambling genetic signals. The key to this puzzle is acquiring genetic samples from the world's remaining indigenous and traditional peoples whose ethnic and genetic identities are isolated.

But such distinct peoples, languages, and cultures are quickly vanishing into a 21st century global melting pot.

That's why the Genographic Project has established ten research laboratories around the globe. Scientists are visiting Earth's remote regions in a comprehensive effort to complete the planet's genetic atlas.

But we don't just need genetic information from Inuit and San Bushmen—we need yours as well. If you choose to participate and add your data to the global research database, you'll help to delineate our common genetic tree, giving detailed shape to its many twigs and branches.

Together we can tell the ancient story of our shared human journey.

Genographic Legacy Fund

But what about the disappearing languages and diluting cultures? What can be done to help preserve and perpetuate those stories? Proceeds from the sales of the Genographic Public Participation Kits support the Genographic Legacy Fund, a primary component of the overall Project. Through the extension of grants, the Fund aims to empower indigenous and traditional peoples trying to revitalize their communities on a local level while at the same time helping to raise awareness on a global level of the challenges and pressures facing traditional communities around the world. Learn more about the Genographic Legacy Fund and the grant application process >>

Learn more about the power of genetics and the scientific work going on at the Genographic Project. Our Computational Biology Center (CBC) team, part of IBM’s global Research organization, will provide regular updates here at CompBio Central.

A genetics refresher
For our introductory CompBio Central article, we thought it would be helpful to describe some of the key concepts behind the Genographic Project and the use of genetics to study our migratory history.

DNA-matter of heredity
The most significant biological material we inherit from our parents is the DNA that we carry in our cells. The DNA, which carries our genetic instructions, is wrapped as chromosomes. In humans, there are 23 pairs of chromosomes-one set from the mother, the other from the father. Of these, 22 are like pairs, but the 23rd pair is different. In females this pair has two like chromosomes called X. Males have one X and one Y. The Y chromosome is transmitted from fathers only to their sons.

In addition to the DNA in our chromosomes, we also inherit the DNA carried in mitochondria, a structure within each cell, which we inherit exclusively from our mother.

It takes two
As cells divide to produce new cells, they replicate the DNA within to give each new cell a genetically identical copy of the parent cell. The cell division that produces eggs (female) or sperm (male) in our reproductive system is different in two ways.

The resulting new cell (egg or sperm) has only one set of chromosomes, not a pair.
The composition of each chromosome in the new cell is a recombination of segments from maternal and paternal chromosome pairs in the parent cell.

Each resulting egg or sperm is genetically distinct. But a major fraction of the Y chromosome does not undergo such recombination, since it is passed only from father to sons and is unaffected by the X chromosome from the mother. It is this unique feature that makes the Y chromosome useful to genealogists.

DNA sequence variations
Occasionally, the DNA copying process introduces mutations or variations in the DNA sequence, making the egg or sperm differ in sequence from the parental source. These mutations are carried into future generations and serve as markers of descent.

Markers of descent
Looking at non-recombinant portions of the human genome, it is possible to associate specific genetic variations to a population group and infer that they must share a common ancestor. We can also conclude that this common ancestor was the first individual with that mutation and has passed it on to all his or her descendents. Such markers of descent have been identified on the Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA.

The markers on Y chromosome describe the paternal line of ancestry-the father's father.
The markers on mitochondrial DNA describe the maternal line of ancestry-the mother's mother.

News Stories from IBM about a few results since 2005

Who are you and where did you come from?
January 23, 2007
Consumers turn to their own DNA
March 30, 2006
Roots of the family tree
March 12, 2006
more...

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News

2008-02-17T06:18:00.000-08:00

Michigan, New York, Connecticut, Missouri, California, Mississippi, China

Mississippi Extreme Genealogy HB282D

2008-02-15T12:29:00.000-08:00

This is a good one and is from Robert St. John.

HB 282D: The Delta Heritage Law: HB 282D would require all citizens of
the Mississippi Delta to limit their ancestral discussions to a minimum
of 45 minutes per dining period. During the allotted time period, said
genealogy buff may only go back four generations without receiving a
warning citation. If subject traces his or her lineage all the way back
to the Civil War during one meal period, a $75 fine shall be levied
(Revolutionary War descendant discussions will result in mandatory jail
time). This law also applies to relations' choice of college, which
sorority their grandmother joined, and which tract of land their family
owned 150 years ago.

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News

Catholic priest sues town and pet owner over dog burial

2008-02-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

He had to draw the line somewhere. His name is Rev. Gerald Baker, from Morganfield. In today's post is Uniontown, Kentucky's city cemetery where, since 1999 a little rat terrier was buried without a headstone. That is without a headstone... until last summer. "The stone read, "In memory of S___head". Evidently, those who had purchased plots started asking for their money back. Now there is legislation, House Bill 242. The Uniontown city government has since revised their policy of pet burials in its city cemetery to say that pet burials are NOT ALLOWED. The case was settled out of court and the woman, Ms./Mrs. Hagan, removed her dog from the cemetery along with its headstone. The article indicated that she had the best intentions in mind and meant no disrespect. I wonder, exactly, the argument of the Rev. Gerald Baker, of the Diocese of Owensboro, serving St. Ann Catholic Church in Morganfield. Mass Schedule St Ann Parish , 304 Church St., Morganfield, KY 42437 Phone: (270) 389-2287 Fax: (270) 389-0219

" Hagan maintained she had first obtained the verbal approval of the
former Uniontown mayor before burying her dog. She was not available for comment Thursday, but earlier told The Gleaner she meant no disrespect to anyone -- she just loved her dog, smelly name and all."

Commonwealth of Kentucky Legislative Research Commission
General Assembly Local Mandate Fiscal Impact Estimate

2008 REGULAR SESSION
Measure Information
Bill Request #: 339
Bill #: HB 242

Bill Subject/Title: Public cemeteries,
burial of animals

Sponsor: Rep. John Arnold

Unit of Government: X City X County X Urban-County
X Charter County X Consolidated Local

Office(s) Impacted General government

Requirement: X Mandatory  Optional

Effect on   
Powers & Duties X Modifies Existing
Adds New  Eliminates Existing
Purpose and Mechanics

HB 242 amends KRS 381.697 to prohibit the burial of
animals in public cemeteries unless written consent
is obtained from the cemetery owners or board.

Fiscal Explanation, Bill Provisions, and Estimated Cost

The fiscal impact of HB 242 on local governments is minimal
and limited to those local governments that own or operate
public cemeteries. There are currently 80 cemeteries in
Kentucky that are owned or operated by local governments,
primarily cities.  Unless prohibition of the burial of animals
is already a rule in these cemeteries, it will be necessary
for cemetery administrators to amend their rules and change
any literature or signs that address cemetery rules.

Data Source(s): Attorney General's Office


Preparer: Mary Lynn Collins Reviewer:  Date:

Cemetery Surveys Inc

2008-01-17T07:09:00.000-08:00

I found this group on Yahoo and I've added their links to the right. The website also has an area to add a link, which is quite helpful if you are researching cemeteries on line. Their website is fantastic. The following excerpt is from the Yahoo Group, Cemetery Survey's Inc.

"Hello and thanks for joining Cemetery Surveys, Inc! We are a locally based (NC/GA), non profit organization who travel the country side surveying cemeteries with digital cameras, chalk, and lots of sunscreen! I won't bore you with the history of how we started, but the end result is our website, which is continually updated, www.cemeterysurveysinc.com ... we appreciate your patronage, encourage your participation, and absolutely love what we do!!
Thanks and we look forward to seeing you on the web!
Rose Birdwell, President & the crew of CSI (Cemetery Surveys, Inc)!
birdwellrose@yahoo.com"

North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, 125 Veterans Cemeteries

2008-01-17T06:59:00.000-08:00

January 10, 2008 - Cemetery Genealogy News
One week delay from Topica

Forest Hill Cemeteries and Funeral Homes in Tennessee

2008-01-10T06:22:00.000-08:00

In the news. "...Smart announced in July 2006 that he wouldn't honor prepaid Forest Hill funeral policies in full. Until Tennessee seized the funeral properties and began honoring the policies again, families had to pay thousands of dollars extra to bury policy holders..." A search from the Dept. of Commerce and Insurance indicated that in May 2006 the funeral home was fined a mere $1,250.00 combined for failure to provide services after two years of receiving payment and disrespecting the memory of the dead.

Burial Services Program
Respondent: Forest Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park – East, Memphis, TN
Violation: Failure to maintain the cemetery so as to reflect respect for the memory of the
dead
Action: $250 Civil Penalty

Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers
Respondent: Forest Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park – South, Memphis, TN
Violation: Immoral or unprofessional conduct – failure to furnish contracted merchandise
or services for two years after receiving payment
Action: $1000 Civil Penalty

With Civil penalties that are this small it appears to be an open invitation to re-offend. Unfortunately, this case is associated with another in Michigan involving over 70 million dollars. 22 million was involved in the Forest Hill case according to the article today. Previous articles indicated that sentencing was scheduled for a man found guilty on Jan. 24th. This case is set for trial on March 3.

You can read about the Michigan case here.

North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, 125 Veterans Cemeteries

2008-01-10T05:12:00.000-08:00

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News is offline.

Michigan, Tennessee, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Nevada, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada - (See recent StoneMor)

2007-12-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News
Michigan, Tennessee, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Nevada, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada- (See recent StoneMor)

StonMor acquires more cemeteries

2007-12-22T07:55:00.000-08:00

I had no idea that there was this much money in cemetery ownership. $68 Million dollars worth!???!!! StoneMor recently bought several cemeteries in the following US States and Puerto Rico:Michigan, Texas, Pennsylvania, California, Ohio, Illinois, Tennessee, Indiana, Oregon, Alabama, North Carolina, Missouri, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, Washington, Arkansas, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Florida, West Virginia. This aquisition does not include cemeteries that StonMor owned prior to this purchase. A recent visit to the StoneMor website did not reveal the cemetery locations or specific ownership, however, there was a search tool that may reveal more information. I did not find it helpful in finding specific cemeteries that StoneMor owns. Read this for more. In 2006 an article stated that StoneMor owned over 136 cemeteries primarily on the East Coast. "In 2006, these properties generated over $44 million in revenues, which is in excess of 35% of StoneMor's 2006 consolidated revenues, and this proposed acquisition, which is the largest since StoneMor went public, will bring the total number of properties owned or managed to 281, a 37% increase." and "In 2005, these locations produced annual cemetery revenues of approximately $9.9 million and annual funeral home revenues of approximately $6.1 million." From the StoneMor website, they now claim over 223 cemeteries and 57 funeral homes in 27 states and Puerto Rico.

Corrections - Park officials cut down tree in Pine Grove Cemetery, Manchester

2007-12-16T07:34:00.000-08:00

The previous article links and photographs were from the Pine Grove Cemetery in Hampton. The news story refers to the cemetery in Manchester. This is easily confused as Hampton sports the same cemetery name. The Hampton cemetery is quite older than the Manchester, Pine Grove Cemetery. The Manchester City Government website ( link may or may not be official city site.) has photos of Manchester's Pine Grove Cemetery online here. And actually, the Parks and Recreation and Cemetery dept. have email and contact information on the website which includes a customer satisfaction survey. The cemetery is not as old as the Hampton Pine Grove Cemetery, however, it does have burials of several former mayors and dates back to 1851. Find A Grave posts several famous politicians and former governor ( Cheney ) of New Hampshire buried here and more photos. This website links to another government link that indicates the following rules regarding Pine Grove Cemetery and other cemeteries in Manchester. I found the link and followed it to discover that a few rules were published regarding the cemeteries of the city . I did Notice the "...trees, shrubs...must not be disturbed." rule was posted on-line. I apologize to Hampton for the confusion. Manchester does have a nice website dedicated to genealogy. And in fact, there is also a blog entitled Cow Hampshire, dedicated to history, genealogy and humorous topics.

New Hampshire park officials raid historic cemetery for tree

2007-12-13T05:24:00.000-08:00

This image is from the records of Lane Memorial Library - Pine Grove Cemetery.

Manchester, New Hampshire, Union Leader This is incredible that a cemetery created in 1654 could have the cities own parks dept. choose a tree from its grounds for the cities Christmas Tree! The parks employee was reprimanded, however, A Very Grave Matter also lists this cemetery in poor condition and posts this link from a local paper about Pine Grove Cemetery from 2003. The Hampton Historical Society provided a tour of the cemetery in 2003. At that time, the cemetery was said to be in good condition. The story also relates that an inventory of family names was taken by a Boy Scout, Joshua McDonald of Troop 177 in 1999. The library offers information about all of the New Hampshire cemeteries, including how to buy a booklet of the Pine Grove Cemetery. The website, A Very Grave Matter, also has a list of about 40 some odd photos of headstones. New Hampshire also has an Old Graveyard Association . I'm finding it hard to believe that this occured! Did I research the right cemetery? It is so incredible to believe that a park official would do such a thing, especially since the cemetery has been in and out of the internet news in the last few years.

MASSACHUSETTS, ILLINOIS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, CALIFORNIA, TEXAS, WORLD WAR II

2007-12-13T05:21:00.000-08:00

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News
MASSACHUSETTS, ILLINOIS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, CALIFORNIA, TEXAS, WORLD WAR II

California, Indiana, Texas, Nebraska, Arizona, Guam, India

2007-12-12T07:41:00.000-08:00

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News
From California, Indiana, Texas, Nebraska, Guam, and India

India

2007-12-12T06:52:00.000-08:00

This is totally weird, just as the URL indicates. The New Lucky restaurant in India has been serving clients since 1950's . . . in a cemetery.

Central Georgia, Bibb County

2007-12-10T14:35:00.000-08:00

A cemetery in Bibb county, Georgia is facing development. The cemetery happens to be over 125 years old and is being side stepped for a Wal Mart. A court hearing is scheduled in January 2008 to discuss the cemeteries. Evidently, this 125 year old cemetery is not the only cemetery in the bulldozers path on the property being developed. I don't know how many of these cemeteries have been transcribed at RootsWeb. Here is a link to the Georgia Bibb County RootsWeb site. From Rootsweb the origins of Bibb county.

Bibb County, Georgia was created in 1822 and named after William Wyatt Bibb
(1781-1820).  Bibb served as a member of the Georgia state house of representatives;
a Senator from Georgia; Governor of Alabama Territory; Governor of Alabama.
Bibb County, AL is also named for him.  The parent counties from which Bibb
County was organized from were Jones, Monroe, Twiggs and Houston.  U.S. Census
reports are available for this county from 1820 to 1930.  The county seat is Macon.

And so we go to Alabama and read at Rootsweb the history of Bibb county, Alabama .


On Feb 7, 1818, Cahawba County was created from Monroe County
by the Alabama Territorial legislature. The name was changed to Bibb
County on December 4, 1820 to honor the first governor of Alabama,
William Wyatt Bibb. In 1992, the population was 17,175 in a land area
of 625 square miles an average of 27.6 people per square mile. The county
seat is locate at Centreville.

Topica

2007-12-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

This blog is about news articles from the following mailing list:
http://lists.topica.com/lists/cemeterygenealogynews/

New York and Texas Cemetery Preservation

2007-12-10T07:54:00.000-08:00

Reflections and personal thoughts upon Shirley's article and the types of cemeteries found in cemetery research.

Types of cemeteries:

1. Church Cemeteries
2. Public Cemeteries
3. National (Arlington National Cemetery)
4. State
5. City
6. Township
7. Village
8. Private
9. Memorial Parks - private corporations protect these cemeteries, however, sometimes these organizations become corrupt, and the cemeteries fall into disrepair inspite of their affiliations.

I wonder what becomes of a cemetery affiliated with a church after the church is no longer operational? There is one such historical church in New York that began as a German Catholic congregation. Did this German Catholic church maintain a cemetery? If so is the cemetery maintained? If the local, state and National Heritage Register have recognized the church for its age and architecture, is the cemetery maintained as part of the registered site? Is it maintained even when the church is now being used for some other purpose?

St. Mary of Sorrows - Erie County, New York Preservation

This website states a clear purpose with additional bylaws and a page description of how to join their organization.

It also makes references to how to stop a demolition, including a link to petitions. Here are the search results for "cemetery" no quotes. http://www.PetitionOnline.com Search cemetery.

In Texas a cemetery has gained the attention of author, China Galland. Love Cemetery, Unburying the Secret History of Slaves. Love's decendants are having problems accessing the cemetery, even though Texas state laws are in place to grant access.

"Preservation experts say the problem is common for the state's ( Texas ) 50,000 cemeteries and burial grounds. Even though Texas law tells property owners to allow access to graves, it doesn't set penalties for violations." -- Dallas Morning News, Dec. 9, 2007

Military Funeral Protests

2007-11-30T08:21:00.000-08:00

This is totally out of place - protesting at a military funeral? Only the lowest form of life could do such a thing.

Mexico, New York, California, Arkansas

2007-11-30T08:17:00.000-08:00

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News
Mexico, New York, California, Arkansas

New York, Kentucky, Illinois, National News

2007-11-30T08:16:00.000-08:00

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News
New York, Kentucky, Illinois, National News

Connecticut, Missouri, Georgia, Massachusetts

2007-11-30T08:13:00.000-08:00

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News
Connecticut, Missouri, Georgia, Massachusetts

New York, Alabama, Texas, Indiana, Civil War-Florida, DNA

2007-11-30T08:10:00.000-08:00

Today's Cemetery Genealogy News
New York, Alabama, Texas, Indiana, Civil War-Florida, DNA