You Bought What?

I can only imagine what that conversation was like.

Her: You want to buy a WHAT?!

Him: A church. And a graveyard. I want to buy a church and graveyard.

Granted, the gentleman in question did identify himself as a Pastor. And he did say his previous church burned down. That set me to wondering if there was an accidental or and "Accidental" fire. An insurance payout would go a long way toward buying a used church.

By all accounts the church folded up and ceased to be rather than relocating to a newer facility. The latter is generally the case. 

But closing a church? How does that actually happen? Is there some kind of de-frocking? Un-sanctifying of the building and grounds? How do you even do that? Say the blessing prayers backwards? Spray un-holy water? 

And what happens to the graves? Are they suddenly not holy ground anymore? What does that do to the souls of those buried there?

"I'm terribly sorry, Mrs. Johnson, but your grave was just ceremoniously de-consecrated. As you are no longer buried in holy ground I am afraid you will have to leave Heaven. Terribly sorry, but rules are rules. I sure we can find a spot for you in Limbo. No, no. Just leave the harp and halo here. You shan't be needing them any longer."

And what about the name? Is it still a graveyard if the church is no longer a church? Is it a cemetery then? If he starts a new church with a different name, does the graveyard/cemetery have to be renamed? Or can it still be a church cemetery without a church?

The mind boggles! So many implications.

Poor chap. He really did not know what he was getting into. Nothing was helped by the defunct church not having any graveyard records to pass on. None. Nothing showing which unmarked grave sites are used and by whom. Nor which were sold to families in the past and who the contact individuals are. All he has are the marked graves (those are easy), those marked only by simple granite block head and foot stones, and a few table and false tomb graves where there is either no name or one that can no longer be read. Oh yes, a few obvious sunken graves, too.

Good luck if someone shows up now wanting to inter a family member! 

What are his rights and legal obligations? One real estate attorney told him he had no liability for the graveyard UNLESS he allowed a burial there in which case he has liabilities galore! 

Imagine if he allowed a burial and the grave was opened only to find existing remains. Or he allowed someone to inter Dad next to Grandma only to have another relative show up later claiming that they had the rights to that grave (especially if they have supporting documentation). 

Let the lawsuits begin! 

One headstone caught my attention. 

Walter's marker only noted that he died 30 Jun 1927, that he was from Georgia, and that he was a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps. So I made it a point to check in on him. If nothing else perhaps I could at least find and update his birth date. 

While I did find that (8 Sep 1900) and submitted an edit for him on Find A Grave, what else I found just made me all the more curious. 

Walter enlisted at age 17 (I can't recall for certain if parental permission was required to enlist at that age in 1917, though I am relatively sure that a parent had to sign off on a 17 year old signing up), doubtless eager to fight in The Great War. He ended up assigned to Headquarters Detachment, Marine Barracks, Naval Station, Guam. Fecking Guam! Imagine a country boy from rural Georgia finding himself in Guam in the 1920s. What an adventure!

Sadly, Walter's life and service were cut short. He died in Guam the summer of 1927 and was shipped home for burial. What an ordeal THAT had to be at the time!

Walter did not quite make it to his 27th birthday. In a twist of fate, I found that his mother survived to the age of 100! She passed away in 1981. Imagine. Being born in 1881, having your first child at age 19 in 1900, burying him in 1927, and living another 57 years with the memories. Tragic. At least she had two other children who lived on. I found he living years later with her daughter and her family. So she have those memories to carry with her, too. Perhaps they managed to ease some of her grief. 

Perhaps. Though I doubt they did very much.