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/ZkB.2ACI/1886.1.1 Message Board Post: We have been asked by the Austin Gen. Soc. for permission to transcribe "our" cemeteries for the USGenweb tombstone project. Of course EVERYONE is afraid of lawsuits about ANYTHING these days. We were concerned about the legal dept. having a negative response to this request. Jean Shroyer who is on the Board of the Austin Gen. Soc. sent me the following e-mail to assure me it is perfectly legal to "have" these records. Here is what Jean had to say; ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2002 9:50 PM Subject: Re: cemetery listings > Cemetery data and records are open records in the State of Texas a law passed > by the legislature not long before. I have been working with the group on > the Austin State hospital cemetery and records and Merrell Davis took that to > the politicians and local guys in Austin...Mr. Schrock of the ASH was not > very open with wanting to share the info..but the deceased that are buried in > their cemetery today are on the 1880 US census for Travis County also..so > that is also public record! Most of the folks who are related to these would > be deceased too most likely...so we see no problems...Cemetery data is public > record. I see no problem with the law issues here myself...Karen Thompson is > one who knows these laws and so does Gerron Hite with the TX Historical > Commission Preservation of TX Cemeteries project..I have worked closely with > him (gerron) to get the Travis County cemetery project started in 1999. We > are doing fine. So. ..just let me know..that is okay..we could use Bob's > help and guidance about the records of those buried in the Forest Oaks..all > we want to do is publish the names, births and death dates from stones or the > records. Funeral Home records are also available from various other > facilities..Wilke- Clay let Paul SMith do their records... > > Thanks Jean Allen, hopefully this will help you with your efforts. You may want to call the man Geron at the Texas Historical Comm. here in Austin to get the "scoop" on photographing, or if there may be a date at which you have to stop publishing the info like the census information. I have family that has recently been buried in old cemeteries around Ft. Worth and all info is online. I don't see the problem with this myself!! Thanks, Theresa Weddell, e-mail; [email protected],net