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Subject: Re: [MNHEN] Hillside Cemetery- privacy act
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2005 21:11:13 EST
MeLani and all
I agree with Annie, this is happening more and more.
What has happened is that cemeteries have taken the data privacy act to a
whole different level. I do not believe it was meant to protect the dead, but
to protect the living.
Some cemeteries, such as Lakewood and Crystal Lake, readily give you
information and others do not. I believe they cite the "privacy act" as a way of
saying "we don't want to be bothered".
A couple years ago a friend and I went to a cemetery outside of Chicago
where her great grandmother was buried. After finding the marker for Elizabeth
and other family members, my friend and I returned to the office to ask if
they had any more information than just the grave markers. They told her that
yes they did, but that they had to have a request in writing and a $10 per
name payment to look up the records, due to the data privacy act.
When my friend tried to pay the money and give the written request, she was
told they would only accept it in the mail and that she would have to mail it
to them and they would reply by mail. And here the information had already
been looked up but yet someone else would have to look it up and write it down
all over again and mail it to Milwaukee instead of taking the money and
handing her what they had right in front of them at the time. .
That is not part of the data privacy act, that is called making genealogists
jump through hoops. And it is ridiculous.
If it was truly the privacy act, then all of them would do the same - they
just do not want to be bothered and there is nothing you can do to make it
otherwise.
Not fair and not fun, but not sure there is anything else to be done.
Jo
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