On Mon, February 18, 2013 4:21 pm, Laura Aanenson wrote: > Now that I read this, I do recall hearing that in European countries > posting such a photo is not permitted. I think I misread Cathy's post to > suggest this was not permissible anywhere. There are no laws (of which I > am > aware) against sharing headstone photos online or otherwise in the US. Well then, I guess they'll be busting down my door someday. I've photographed numerous graves and cemeteries from Europe. What's more, the proof is undeniable, because I've photographed myself and my family in some of them, and I've posted them online, printed them off and distributed them. I have no intention of stopping, nor stopping to ask if I may. > > But this brings me to another (similar) question. How do I know where my > ancestors are buried? I would guess those named in the records I most > recently located (burials in the 18th century) have been recycled. I think > I may write to the mairie and ask the status of those direct-line > ancestors > in which I am most interested. Most likely your ancestors are no longer buried in a grave. Most likely they've been dug up, and reduced to ashes. The skull may have been saved, possibly marked and put into some facility designed for the purpose. This is not your wide open American graves system. Many of these graveyards in Europe are probably a thousand years old or more. In a space half the size of the US. Reusing the same plots is a necessity, not an option. Finding the burial place should be easy. The death record usually indicates where they were buried. Don't expect to find a grave on anyone over 50 years, as has been said. I've never understood the need for this. I only worry about that when there is a possibility of finding out more details about a person. > > Where would one find the name(s) of the church(es) in a particular town or > village? Now that's a good question. I'd be curious if there is a central place to look for that. One thing I would try is to find the town website, and look there. Most times, that's where I find all kinds of things. Brian