Cemeteries
Tombstones and Grave Markers themselves are considered public domain
property and not subject to current copyright laws. However, digital
photos of them or the transcriptions of them by an individual, group or
society are subject to copyright laws. In other words, if a
researcher takes a photo himself of a tombstone it is his photo to do with
as he pleases. If a researcher uses another's tombstone photo or the
transcription of same from another source, the researcher must cite that
source and have written permission to re-publish same on the internet.
There are laws in GA, NC and TN governing cemeteries covering such topics as public right of access, abandoned cemeteries, grave preservation, archeological preservation, graves now on privately-owned lands, just to name a few. There are state laws as well and county ordinances and we have included links to these for our visitors' convenience. Also there are stipulations for most cemeteries as to who can be buried there, which type of monuments are accepted, and even types of flowers that can be placed on a grave. Before a researcher ventures out to wander a cemetery or grave site looking for their ancestors, it is recommended that they have a good understanding of these cemetery laws and guidelines. Here is a short list of items you will need to take with you on your cemetery hunt.
During the early 1930's the Tennessee Valley Authority [TVA] construction of numerous dams in our Tri-State area was required to identify cemeteries/graves that would be flooded and to find the families and seek permission to move the burials to another location. There are lists of these that include who, where they were originally buried and where they were moved to or if they remained as originally buried. Unfortunately, the timing of this project coincided with The Great Depression which made finding those families difficult because they moved out of the area to find work. Many families could not afford to move all graves, so many of them, particularly infants, remain at the bottom of lakes. Still, these lists are a valuable resource.
There are also old Works Project Administration [WPA] cemetery surveys taken in the 1930s which will include tombstone transcriptions of pre-1914 grave markers that today are possibly eroded away, stolen, broken or otherwise unreadable. There are some transcriptions of these records on-line. For the complete collections, consult the appropriate State Archives.
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Cemetery
Surveys, Inc. |
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Tools, How-to's & Other Helpful Information:
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GA |
NC |
TN |
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State Information About Cemeteries: |
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GA Laws Governing Protection of American Indian Burials GA Cemetery FAQ's - GA Dept. of Historical Preservation From the Ground Up: Preservation Plan for Georgia, 2001-2006 |
NC Law Governing Protection of American Indian Burials NC Law regarding Cemeteries [General Statutes, Chapter 65] WPA NC Cemetery Surveys, pre-1914 held at NC State Archives Legacy 2000: North Carolina's Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan, 2000-2005
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TN Law Governing Protection of American Indian Burials
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Find-A-Grave [GA] North-Central Georgia Cemeteries - 14 surveys in Hall, Walton, and Rockdale Cos., GA GAGenWeb Archives Cemetery Search GA Tombstone Transcription Project
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Find-A-Grave [NC] | Find-A-Grave [TN] |
| Links to Sites with multiple Cemetery Transcriptions | ||
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Dawson GA - transcriptions by Annette
Bramlett Dawson GA - New Hope Cem. by Jeff Thomas Habersham GA - @ ALHP Lumpkin GA - @GAGenWeb Murray GA - by Paula Franklin
Union GA - Graves Database - @C.A.T.'s Southern Genealogy |
Buncombe NC - @ OBCGS Buncombe NC - by W.D. Floyd
Burke NC - by W. D. Floyd Cherokee NC - by Linda Hoxit Raxter Clay NC - by Linda Hoxit Raxter Graham NC - @ NCGenWeb Haywood NC - @ NCGenWeb
Henderson NC - by Linda Hoxit Raxter
Jackson NC - by Linda Hoxit Raxter Madison NC - at OBCGS Macon NC - by Linda Hoxit Raxter Rutherford NC - by W.D. Floyd Transylvania NC - by Linda Hoxit Raxter
Yancey NC [A-L] - @NCGenWeb |
Blount TN - @TNGenWeb Bradley TN - @ TNGenWeb
Monroe TN - @ TNGenWeb
Polk TN- Cemeteries - @ TNGenWeb
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Cemetery Books & CDs available for purchase on-line just key in the word "cemetery" and "county name" then select the "books" category...press Find It ! |
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Georgia Revolutionary War Soldiers' Graves 30,638 Burials in GA - located in over 600 cemeteries spanning almost 100 counties
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Henderson County, North Carolina Cemeteries |
Tennessee: Tombstone Inscriptions & Manuscripts Blount TN Entry Taker's Book 1824-1826 Blount TN Tombstone Inscriptions Chickamauga Reservoir Cemeteries - The area of this reservoir is found in Hamilton, Rhea, Meigs and Monroe Counties in TN.
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Lots of individuals are from
time-to-time selling
their previously purchased cemetery books on eBay!
There are many cemeteries
that have yet to be surveyed. If you are interested in
seeing more of these types of records on this web site, please
contact us. Thank you. |
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Design, Graphics, Photos & Content Copyright © 2004 Carol Ann "C.A.T." Tindell, Blue Ridge, GA