It's a fair question, and with a long history of working for/volunteering for non-profits, I have learned that non-profit is often misunderstood as free. It is ok for non-profits to charge for services if that is the concern here. The term can be misleading. On a related note, I'm often teased by my family as being the only person they know of who socializes at and makes friends at cemeteries <grin>. During these visits, I've learned that (1) genealogists are often the cause of groans by staffs due to the lists they take in with an expectation of an immediate response -- and I'm not saying this is what you did but giving a general bit of info, (2) many cemeteries are barely able to afford to maintain the grounds due to finances as generations of families and plot owners die off, and (3) many don't have records at the cemetery and therefore they aren't easily accessible. I've been surprised at the number of cemeteries barely hanging on, and they tend to be run by/cared for by volunteers in the community who band together as "friends of..." groups. In a nutshell, even one lookup, simple as it seems and is, can take time by an already often-too-small staff or volunteer group; additionally, in meeting so many people, I've learned that those cemeteries with free offers often have a genealogist or historian involved who've persuaded the board that it's a good idea to keep allowing those lookups. My hope is that the many that do give the free lookups will continue to do, though if they do begin to charge (a couple have mentioned that this might happen), I hope it remains reasonable. $45 per lookup has been mentioned on the Philly lists and recently someone mentioned $100; I was billed for $200 for one because the cemetery decided I should be the new plot owner since they knew I was living and had an address for me! Yikes! I hope you get the info you need, and if you decide to obtain the report, would you be so kind as to post what sort of report the cemetery provides for this fee? Diana Quinones <audianaq@msn.com> wrote: But the cemetery is part of Odd Fellows Cem. Co, a non-profit organization, per their site: [http://www.cemeteryco.com/]**** Odd Fellows' Cemetery Co. of Philadelphia The Odd Fellows' Cemetery Co. of Philadelphia is a non-profit organization, incorporated in 1848 by an Act of the Pennsylvania Legislature to provide burial space in peaceful surroundings, on a non-sectarian basis, in the best interests of our lotholders. Today we own and operate three professionally-managed cemeteries in the Philadelphia, PA area: Lawnview Cemetery - Rockledge, PA Pine Grove Memorial Park and Cemetery - Warminster, PA Mount Peace Cemetery - Philadelphia, PA --------------------------------- Sucker-punch spam with award-winning protection. Try the free Yahoo! Mail Beta.