This is not a good trend

Tracking down extended branches of the family tree often results in surprising results. Not all of these are pleasant.

Such was the case tracking down some of Ol' Br'er's Autry kinfolk. Now, it is important to know that this branch of the family tended to stay within a couple of counties in northeast Georgia. So, you can imagine his surprise when he found a branch that had relocated near Atlanta, much closer to Br'er's home warren! So close were these graves that making a visit was a moral imperative.

On paper and maps, this is a large, urban cemetery. 

On paper.

In reality, it turns out to be another abandoned cemetery. Find A Grave cites more than 1,000 memorials. As is the case with so many of these cemeteries where the business operating them has gone bankrupt, burials continue to take place. Families that purchased plots still have the right to use them. It falls to the family to arrange for the grave opening and closing, headstone placement, etc. Usually, they contract through the funeral home to arrange all these things. But, since there are no centralized records, the family is responsible for specifying the exact grave location.

Much more interesting/terrifying was finding a couple apparently living in the cemetery!! They had a camper trailer set up and had clearly been there for some time. Granted, they did appear (as they claimed) to be mowing the grass and removing fallen trees. 

That did nothing to ease Ol' Br'er's danger signals. Something about the whole setup was just too sketchy for his comfort. Normally he keeps his pew-pew out of sight (unless he is alone in the hinterlands). Not this time. The pew-pew was deliberately and prominently displayed on his hip. Fortunately, he found his relatives in less than a minute, did the requisite updates to Find A Grave, and was back in the car and out of there almost as quickly.

These abandoned cemeteries are heartbreaking. As I understand it, today companies are required to set up financial investments that will cover future costs to maintain the property in perpetuity. But this is a very recent change, leaving hundreds or thousands of commercial cemeteries exempted from the law. And, the new laws do not impact private family cemeteries, either newly created or existing. Maintenance of these sites is the responsibility of the family. Should the family relocate or die off, no one is responsible for maintenance.

Should someone purchase a property where one of these abandoned burial sites is, they are under absolutely no obligation to maintain it. On the other side of that coin, they cannot alter or destroy it, either. Doing so and getting caught means stiff legal penalties.

Much as I would like to see these places better protected and maintained, I cannot support efforts calling for cities, counties, etc. to pick up that responsibly. Doing this would simply encourage people to deliberately abandon sites forcing government to pick up the expense. And, these maintenance costs would never cease. All that is before considering any liabilities assumed by taking over maintenance. Someone falls in the cemetery and sues whatever government level is maintaining the site.

Sadly, there are no good, easy options.