I don't have any idea where this question belongs. My grandma just died. I realize that I am very lucky not to lose a loved one at my age, but it still hurts. I am guessing that I am putting my question in the right place because others have lost loved family and have dealt with this problem.

This is an issue of state law and grave sites. My mother's father's mother bought 12 grave sites in late 1930's. State law states that blood relatives equally inherit grave plots. State law does not allow a will for one person to inherit grave plots. All blood relatives are owners, but that does not include marriage. My grandma was only buried next to her husband because family signed off at his death for her to have this spot.

Because of law, the grave yard guy couldn't tell me anything about the grave plots. He was very kind and gave me information that I need with obvious hints. My mother's father's mother bought 12 grave sites in the late 30s. None have been used since maybe 1970, which was my grandfather's sister and her husband.

Law states a sign off of all who own. This gets hard. The cemetery will contact the family members and request a legal sign off. I have to provide information. I honestly don't think anyone cares about these grave sites, but I do. I have to provide them with contact information, which I have no idea how to find them and my mother doesn't either. I have names of relatives, but no idea how to find them.

I believe it is more meaningful to my family than out of state relatives, who are blood heirs, for these grave plots. I honestly don't think they have any interest. I need all heirs to sign off for us to be buried there. How do I find them, first? How do I approach maybe eight heirs for them to let me have these grave plots?

First, I will try to reason this challenge through. You want to bury grandma and marriage does not create heirs who might be interested in the plots. So I think that you need to contact only any brother(s) and sister(s) of grandma. If they predeceased grandma, then grandma, being the last to die, ordinarily might entitle her children to inherit, but you said that marriage does not create heirs of the plots. If this reasoning is so far correct, you might be able to get a power of attorney from a lawyer to merely act on grandma's behalf to get her buried at all in any one of the plots. As for who truly owns the plots, if grandma has no living brother(s) and sister(s), maybe it is the state in which case in the public interest, you should be able to get the power of attorney. As for the cemetery, it is only interested in for whom it can open the plot to which end it might be glad to send you written information on the purchase of the plots, which I think it has to keep as a matter of law and which a lawyer could review and act upon in your behalf for grandma's behalf for a small sum.

You can google in "people finders" and try to find from the enormous array of helpful and free websites whether you can readily get the info on relatives for free. Otherwise, again, you will have to pay a small sum.

Wildflower,

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Some of the heirs may not be alive. Your mother may have to help you look through the site below to find your family. The main part of the site does have some free search stuff. (some you must pay for) Hope this helps.

Searchbug

If you have to provide the information and can not then they have to do something. An article could be placed in a newspaper requesting heirs to come forward. If they do not respond within a certain time then the only known heir would be your mother. If she can't will them to you and they are all hers then have her sell them. IMO

I am not quite sure if I understand what you are saying.

This isn't for Grandma because she is already buried there because when Grandpa died the family signed that she could be buried there also?

This is for you and you are trying to find the heirs so you can ask them to sign for you to use the cemetery for your mother, father, yourself and/or any immediate family members that may need to be buried in that particular cemetery.

If this is the case, it is a very smart of you to get this taken care of before the necessity arises.

DD

Folk used to hire private investigators who would spend a great deal of time in the Hall of Records and had connections around the area with clerks and librarians who could find most any information on anybody.

Attorney's tend to hire that kind of force in finding and resolving legal cases too.