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Archiver > TX-CEMETERY-PRESERVATION > 2006-03 > 1143658175
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Subject: Re: [TX-CEMETERY-PRESERVATION] Needed Changes
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 18:49:35 +0000
I've been thinking over what Ron said here, and it is a good idea. Of course, we all know it would take more than a nickel and a minute, even for one, let alone for several hundred burials a year. And then the county clerk would have even more cost for time spent and storage of records.
Let's face it - no one is interested in these records except us and our fellow genealogists and historians. So what if we bite the bullet and take on one more project.
What if each of us were to drive over to our nearest mortuary and volunteer to computerize their oldest records. We wouldn't need all the info: full name, parents names, date and place of birth, date and place of death, place of burial, and spouse's name. That would be enough to identify a person, then post it on the internet.
I know many of you work, take care of family, walk cemeteries, research in libraries, and are otherwise too busy. But there are others who are home-bound and can no longer do all those things they love doing. This would be terrific for those who are care-givers, disabled, or just prefer to work from home.
Comments?
--
Elayne Pair Gibbons
www.PairPlace.net
-------------- Original message from "1Space1" <>: --------------
> You are right in your
> thought that tracking down the current funeral home that bought out the
> funeral home that bought out the funeral home that actually handled the
> burial has been done and, exactly as you say, the sweet young thing in the
> front office is clueless and any response given is "the records are in
> storage some place" and that isn't even known for sure. In other words, a
> brick wall and direct "Dead End" going that direction.
>
> You mentioned the need for a state law directing records of funeral homes
> going out of business to be placed somewhere they are accessable forever
> more....everyone being considered as the scape goat for these records would
> be outraged at being forced to find storage in already limited space and
> adding further responsibilities to staff with more to do than can be done in
> a day's work. In talking to "the boys" dealing with funeral home directors
> at the state level, I was told a law was passed back in the '80's (if memory
> serves) requiring funeral homes to keep their records going back only 3
> years. The justification being the Death Certificate is supposed to take
> care of all that.
>
> Fine! As long as everyone is buried in the County in which they expire, it's
> all cool. Then, if your looking for a particular person that say, died in
> Travis and the Death Certificate informs you they were buried in Travis
> County, your work is cut down to walking the cemeteries of Travis County
> until you find them. Say they died far enough back where no family or
> friends are still around to guide you. Of the several death certificates I
> have seen, that's what it tells you....the county of burial. Now, I have
> talked to the County Clerks offices of Hays (San Marcos), Jefferson
> (Beaumont), Victoria (Victoria), Goliad (Goliad) and Travis (Austin). ALL
> acknowledge they are not informed by anyone when a person dies in another
> place and is brought into their county for burial.
>
> If you find the person's death certificate listing the county of burial,
> that's great. If you know which cemetery in that county they were buried in,
> you've got it made. If you know the county and not the cemetery then what?
>
> How tough would it be for the "Loving Memories Morturary" to drop a nickle
> for a photo copy of their records showing the particulars of a persons lot,
> plot and space number in the "Saints Preserve Us Cemetery" and send it to
> the County Clerks for their permanent records?
>
> So, what good would that be? First, if you accessed the subject person's
> death certificate telling the county of inturnment you would only need go to
> the county clerks to find precisely where they were placed. Secondly, it
> would provide a more accurate record of just who was buried in a particular
> county and would not omit those that died elsewhere but were buried there.
> Third, once a cemetery was read, one would not need to trek back through it
> again.
> All cemeteries within the county could be updated by viewing (and
> photocopying) the county records. It would seem those points of
> accomplishment would be of particular interest to those interested in family
> and historical research, keeping cemeteries updated and not continuing to
> lose people that where buried SOMEWHERE in the county.
>
> As it is, one can just hope there will always be people willing to go out
> and trudge through cemeteries with some degree of regularity to get updates.
>
> It seems to me the advantages of legislation requiring funeral homes to
> provide records to the counties of burial would be of great usefulness to a
> lot of people, not just the one who's grandfather is lost for lack of
> comprehensive records.
>
> Thanks for your kind attention. No need to reply. I just felt like I had not
> made my points clear as to how I see the successful creation of one simple
> activity could have and extensive, positive effect to a lot of
> people....probably I still haven't but, oh well.....
>
> Ron
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