AUGUSTA (AP) — People who want easier access to their ancestors’ graves in family cemeteries are facing legal obstacles in Maine.
There are an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 family cemeteries and ancient burial grounds in the state. Ancient burial grounds hold the graves of several families. Descendants retain rights to visit the grave sites, and those rights are usually recorded in the county registry of deeds. But in some cases the deeds have been lost.
The Maine Old Cemetery Association has been lobbying for legislation that would give descendants access to the cemeteries even if the descendants do not have a deed.
The Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee on Wednesday voted to kill the bill, citing concerns that it would violate the rights of property owners.
The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less