Hi Lists, I'm sending this to both the LA-CEMETERIES and ACADIAN-CAJUN lists so please don't start cross-posting it. It's going there already. For those of you who have "delicate" stomachs, you might not want to read this. I wrote to Mary Manhein at LSU. She's the lady who's called out to the field when bodies are found. She also does facial reconstruction on skulls to help identify the remains. (Kinda like the guy on CSI but for real!) I wanted to know how much decomposition might have taken place since we've had embalming since the Civil War here in the US. By the way, if you haven't already seen it, the Cemeteries Act she refers to can be found at: http://lcb.state.la.us/legal.html So, here's something else for you to think about. And, honestly, don't read it if you tend to get a bit queasy. Brenda, Anthropologist in the Making "Dear Brenda, I am not sure how much help I can be but here goes: Yes, embalming has been around since the 1800s. In terms of preservation, each burial would have to be considered on an indiviudal basis. Things that could affect degree of preservation of soft tissue and/or bones would include: if the body was embalmed (not always embalmed in the past); if the coffin/casket were air tight; if the tomb had been opened in recent years. I have seen bodies more than 100 years old (time since burial) that have some soft tissue remaining on them. For the record, effective January 1, 1992, a preservation act for unmarked human burials was enacted by the Louisiana State Legislature. This act protects "unmarked human burial sites," but exempts those cemeteries "regulated by the Louisiana Cemetery Board, or any recognized and maintained municipal, fraternal, religious or family cemetery (page 200 of R.S.8:673)." These entities are exempt from a specific protocol designed to address what should happen when remains are found at a site and it was not know that they were there. Your situation may be different. In my experience, some groups have traditionally required maintenance, etc. of graves. If this is not done, notice of removal can occur. It is my understanding that some cemetery boards will place bones removed from such burials in a common grave in another location of the cemetery. Others may remove them altogether and have their own disposal procedures. Whether or not this could include cremation or something like that, I do not know. I might add that on page 205 (and presumably on 206 since I don't have that page) the cemeteries act in 1992 under R.S.903 addresses maintenance and sale of cemetery plots in an organized cemetery. It would be good for you to find that document in its entirety. Good luck to you. Mary Manhein, Forensic Anthropologist and Director, LSU FACES Laboratory (Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services Laboratory)" ____________________________________________________________________ Get free email and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1