Ask Me Help Desk - Cemetery plots

My family has cemetery plots in a city in Ohio where all my family is buried. No one has deed to plots and there are about 12 plots left the cemetery never asked for proof of ownership when we would burie some family member.know their saying we need a deed to open grave.no one knows where deed is my grand mother bought these plots years ago no one else but are family has ever been buryed there what can we do we don't want these plots just to go to waste thank you

Surely this is not an uncommon issue in cemeteries... can the management of the cemetery not advise you how / where to get a copy of the deed? They should at least be able to tell you where such transactions are recorded.

I'm sorry I don't know the answer - just trying to keep this bumped up for you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by howardb53

my family has cemetary plots in a city in ohio where all my family is buried. no one has deed to plots and there are about 12 plots left the cemetary never asked for proof of ownership when we would burie some family member.know their saying we need a deed to open grave.no one knows where deed is my grand mother bought these plots years ago no one else but are family has ever been buryed there what can we do we dont want these plots just to go to waste thank you

The cemetery must have records of who purchased the various plots - or at least I would think they do.

Interesting question.

I have made prepaid arrangements and just pulled out my file. I have a Certificate, signed by the President of the Cemetery and notarized with some sort of official seal on it (not a notarial seal of authority), and it simply states that I have paid $X to purchase plot Y for the interment of my husband and me.

I have no Deed or other ownership papers.

I do note two rather interesting things - if anyone else wants to be buried there they need to obtain my written permission as purchaser AND - my at the moment favorite - I am not allowed to enter the cemetery grounds with firearms OR bows and arrows for ANY purpose. This is not a rural cemetery so I have no idea what problems they've had in the past - but I find that interesting.

Oh, I'm also not allowed to put a windmill on my husband's grave - ?

Judy, I think the bow and guns are strictly for vandalism purposes. They don't need any more vandalism on the headstones. I've been in very old graveyards from the 1800's and saw the stones broken off at the base from Civil War soldier vandalism. Now the windmill poses real problems as you could essentially pump more water for any stray cattle to drink should they somehow wander into the cemetery in the middle of the city.

Howard, I know firsthand how nutty Ohio can be. Would suggest that you contact them about the "deed" to your cemetery plots well before they are needed. If they issued them, they should have a record of grandma buying them.