This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/zQB.2ACE/1803.1.1.1.1.1 Message Board Post: You are very welcome. You are correct. The weather is bitterly cold and no relief is in sight for now. The cemeteries are in various states of snow and ice, the roads throughout are trecherous and if the place is not in constant demand for new "occupancy", they do not exist at all. I have trudged through these places in the snow before (for my job) but am growing less fond of this every year. Without the ability to see the section I'm looking for, it is very well impossible to find Lot #s and graves. The "trick" is to find the superintendant, if there is one, who will drive me in his truck to the correct location. Today I had the "honor" of trudging through Trenton. I was armed with a map and my wits, both seemingly useless after 90 minutes. Now the capitol city is indeed spread out into different sections and districts. At some point north becomes south and vice versa, combined with many one-way streets, streets ending into walls(!), multiple names for the same road, no signs, and other suprises. I actually, though getting lost, got to see some of the funeral establishments I heard about in my childhood and the many tales of the proprietors in days of yore. I did finally find my destination, which was situated in a warehouse(!). Back to St. Mary's and Alpine. We were all told that if the cemetery was a seperate entity, in other words a cemetery association, they would maintain records. If the cemetery is seperate for it's members(parishioners) then the church would do all records, deeds, contracts, and usually, the interments and maintenance. This is of course, predicated on the ability of the church to handle such duties. St. Mary's may maintain the files and Alpine may do the dirty work, I'm not sure. As far as a listing of the cemeteries "inhabitants", there are literally THOUSANDS of remains, known, unknown, infants and children, limbs etc. marked and unmarked, It is only until very recently that an interest in historical preservation came into vogue. But other than the cemetery company, there isn't a person or service that lists cemeteries, dates and personal particulars. I was taught you could fit 3000 remains into an acre of plots. As you can see, it is next to a physical impossibility to mak! e a definative listing. I would check Alpine, armed with all the information you can find. If St. Mary's doesn't have records before 1940, ask them where they went to? Who were the funeral directors? Most around in 1930 are gone, but a few are still in various incarnations e.g. Mitruska Bros, Skrocki and Zylka. Maybe they would be a good lead. Who knows? Isn't it worth a try? Again, sorry for rambling incessantly. Regards, Christopher