Hi All; I do not wish to write anything "off topic" and hope my opinion is accepted in a meaningful manner and not that of a "criticism" judgement.This topic "no more Headstone Photos" has been an "opinionated" topic back to approx. one year ago on one of our mailing lists, certainly not discussing any of the "Prime Minister"s" Grave Sites, but that of others here in Newfoundland. I have several relatives buried in "Mount Pleasant Cemetery" here in St.John's including my cherished father. I certainly would not like to find some person just standing there taking photos of his Stone for genealogy purposes without permission from me or other members of my family, although it's beautiful and maintained to the utmost. Neither would I visit some person's grave Site and take photos or inscriptions without permission from living relatives and to be accompanied by them, if at all possible. Should it not be possible to find any relatives, therefore I would search for a telephone number or visit the Church Parishioner, Pastor, Priest etc. and ask for permission to visit any Cemetery, unless of course, it is an "abandoned" Town or Village, in that case I would try to up-grade it instead of down-grade it, if at all possible With the exception of little Towns around my own home Town, in which I have already obtained permission to visit and photograph or write "inscriptions" from their loved one's Grave Sites and graciously agreed to allow me to have these inscriptions posted to a website simply because these relatives have taken interest in genealogy after I explained the details to each one of them. We must not forget that some people do not wish to have their loved ones info. publicized on a public website {although I understand that this is not the case pertaining to the young girl along with members of her class working on a School project and wishing to visit the grave Site of one of the Prime Ministers}and we must honor their wishes. This is and always was my personal opinion about this touchy topic, although with all that said, I am very thankful to those people {living relatives} that have given me permission and others who was kind enough to write dates of Births, Deaths, names of their deceased loved ones etc. that have not yet been able to afford to buy and erect a Stone, but simply a marker. I will be collecting all of this important data when time allow me to make the trip, but be assured I will not walk into any Cemetery with a brief-case and camera without written consent or being accompanied by a living relative/s, unless like earlier stated, it is a deserted Town or Village and then I would not post it to a website for public viewing without permission from relatives that have loved ones buried there. I hope any web-Master would agree with me on this one. I will be posting my entire family's inscriptions to the website for genealogy purposes soon and that is certainly with permission from our remaining family and relatives. I also will leave my utmost consent to my family to have my personal profile and everything about my life, to be posted to the NGB website <smiles> upon my departure from this Planet. This is my own personal opinion. Kind Regards Evelyn ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Roache" <jfroache@sympatico.ca> To: <NFLD-LAB-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, October 06, 2003 11:54 AM Subject: [NFLD-LAB] No more headstone photos????? > Former PM's grave off limits to cameras > Students allowed to take photos for school after father complains > > Allan Woods > National Post > > > Wednesday, October 01, 2003 > > CREDIT: Kevin Van Paassen, National Post > > A 10-year-old girl was told on Sunday she could be fined for taking a photo > of the tombstone of former prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King for a > class project. > > > A security guard at one of Canada's most historic cemeteries threatened to > fine two grade school students working on a history project when they tried > to photograph the grave of Canada's 10th prime minister. > The security guard at Toronto's Mount Pleasant Cemetery told the 10-year-old > girl, her classmate and the girl's father on Sunday that they could not > photograph William Lyon Mackenzie King's grave site except with special > permission. Breaking the ban could result in a $150 fine, the guard told > them. After learning it was just for a class project, however, he relented > and allowed them to take a photograph. > > Dennis Moir, director of cemetery services for the Mount Pleasant Group of > Cemeteries, said the company policy is intended to protect the personal > information on headstones, which are considered private property. > Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries sets its own rules, Mr. Moir explained. > Those rules must then be approved by the cemeteries regulations branch of > Ontario's Ministry of Consumer and Business Services. > > "The bylaw is to protect the people who are buried there," Mr. Moir said. > "Even for MacKenzie King's actual headstone, you'd have to get permission > from the people who own the monument." The incident has raised the ire of > the Dominion Institute, a group committed to preserving and promoting > Canada's history. > > "I think this is hideous," said Jessica Humphreys, manager of the > institute's Memory Project. "What [little] we know about our country's past > is embarrassing and this is a prime example of why that is." > > Students are advised to get permission beforehand. Moir added that the > company provides a number of educational tours at its 10 Toronto cemeteries, > including historical walks and class visits. > > > ==== NFLD-LAB Mailing List ==== > Co-List Admins of Nfld-Lab mail list: > Vera Short : short9647@rogers.com > Glynn Hewlett: glynn.hewlett@sympatico.ca > >

Perhaps we might consider "no trespassing" signs when there is sensitivity around the issue - or we might erect signs with contact information for the living so that visitors could ask permission???? And why stop at cemeteries? No photos of anyone's home ever - people might learn where you live. Leave my car out of the shot you are taking of a scenic viewpoint as well - someone might see the plate and link it to me. Certainly, don't ever get my face in a shot...it might show up in a newspaper or online or heaven forbid on TV!!! This can get really complicated....the only solution might be for us all to turn Muslin so at least 52% of the population can hide their faces and very few of us will have money for houses, cars or headstones. We could also remove all headstones or sand all personal information off them. Although I have been thinking about a career change - watchman at a cemetery has a certain appeal - all that power to drive unwanted people away, to take the film from their cameras and collect fines if they fail to comply..... We simply must stamp out genealogy - it is a potentially dangerous blight on our democracy - and it's growing unfettered as more and more people want information about the dead. They must be cult members or worse - to take such liberties....I hear they even want access to Census information, my gawd! It's time to put an end to this - no more cameras, no more etchings, no more paintings - oil, water or pen and ink - leave the dead alone damn you :-) I'm finished now --- back to stamp collecting.....and I promise to white out any name or birth-death date information on any stamp I own. Jim ----- Original Message ----- From: "Evelyn" <ewoudenberg@roadrunner.nf.net> To: "Jim Roache" <jfroache@sympatico.ca>; <NFLD-LAB-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, October 06, 2003 8:18 PM Subject: Re: [NFLD-LAB] No more headstone photos????? > > Hi All; > I do not wish to write anything "off topic" and hope my opinion is > accepted in a meaningful manner and not that of a "criticism" judgement.This topic "no more Headstone Photos" has been an "opinionated" on one of our mailing lists, certainly not discussing > any of the "Prime Minister"s" Grave Sites, but that of others here in > Newfoundland. > > I have several relatives buried in "Mount Pleasant Cemetery" here in > St.John's including my cherished father. I certainly would not like to find > some person just standing there taking photos of his Stone for genealogy > purposes without permission from me or other members of my family. This is my own personal opinion. > > Kind Regards > Evelyn > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jim Roache" <jfroache@sympatico.ca> > To: <NFLD-LAB-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Monday, October 06, 2003 11:54 AM > Subject: [NFLD-LAB] No more headstone photos????? > > > > Former PM's grave off limits to cameras > > Students allowed to take photos for school after father complains > > > > Allan Woods > > National Post > > > > > > Wednesday, October 01, 2003 > > > > CREDIT: Kevin Van Paassen, National Post > > > > A 10-year-old girl was told on Sunday she could be fined for taking a > photo > > of the tombstone of former prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King for > a > > class project.