Here, here Sheila!! I agree wholeheartedly. Recently I asked a friend and fellow researcher to photograph my 3xg grandmother's stone at Mount Pleasant. He knew the cemetery fairly well and knew where the family plot was. As he started to take photos the Cemetery security approached him and asked if this was his family. He told a white lie and got the photos for me. So they are indeed watching in some places. I agree with Sheila that we must use common sense in this situation. I have taken lots of my own family past 1910. I recently had a request, through this list, for picture for a gal in England for a cemetery close to me, which was part of the Mount Pleasant group. I called ahead to find out where the people were interred. They were very helpful and gave me directions on how to find it. So maybe it depends on the individual cemetery and how they enforce their privacy policies. I am sure if I were dead and buried I would have no objections to someone photographing my stone nor would my family. If someone has ulterior motives by doing this or publishing for money, then maybe I would object as I feel this should remain a free act to be able to collect info for one's research or at the request of people who are also searching for family. Dawn in very coooold Toronto. -----Original Message----- From: GEN [mailto:gendreamer@wightman.ca] Sent: January 21, 2005 9:03 AM To: CA-ONT-CEMETERIES-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [ON-CEM] Photography & cemeteries. Why do they have to ask permission of the cemetery to take photos? The graves are own by the people . Most cemeteries are open to the public. One more thing to think about. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE Does the OGS go to every one who has a tombstone to ask for permission to take data from a person's stone? I doubt it. Then we would risk losing this wonderful resource for genealogist if they took the time to seek permission to ask each owner . This would be too time consuming. We would risk losing this service What we are taking about is the need to use ' common sense'. Personally I take photos of old stones, and if they are past 1910, I don't take the photo UNLESS, I have been requested to do so , and that photo image is always sent to the person who request it. I am not going to tell you that I have never taken photos of stones after 1910 , that would be a lie, especially when it come to photos of family members. Do you really think local cemeteries have all the time in the world to stand guard at cemeteries making sure that no one takes photos of stones ? They are too busy making sure the cemetery is kept up, and spending their money wisely on things that really matter. People are being regulated to death. Don't do this and don't do that. I am all for protecting people privacy, but again common sense needs to be used. I can think of more positive things that taking photos of tombstones does , rather than the negative. After all aren't we after the same thing, to record for future generations our proud ancestry, whether it be by written records or by photos? If you want to get upset over any thing, then work for better care of a neglected cemetery. Or the thing that makes me boiling mad, is the low-life people who read obituaries and while the family is at the funeral home or service, robs their home. Sheila shill@wightman.ca ==== CA-ONT-CEMETERIES Mailing List ==== READ the taglines! Before you ask for a lookup ...check http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~silentguardians In search of site: http://ocml0.tripod.com ============================== Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx