More than a records archive
Launched in November 2008, Names in Stone is an online repository of cemetery records. But while the ability to access burial records online is nothing new, Names in Stone goes a step further by providing actual burial maps – a real boon to historians, researchers and genealogists trying to locate and document burial information.

The site’s searchable database allows online visitors to view photographs and see the precise location of a gravesite as well as the names on adjoining cemetery plots, according to David Day, president of Names in Stone. In addition, researching burial records online gives users access to information that may or may not be recorded on a headstone, such as birth or death dates and names of parents, without having to deal with the logistics and costs of traveling to the actual locations.

Accessible public information
Cemetery mapping capabilities are provided by Spatial Generations, a software product of Gateway Mapping, Inc., an Orem, Utah company. Currently, approximately 100 cemeteries across the country are included in the Names in Stone database, most of them in Utah. Users are encouraged to contribute by inviting local cemeteries to participate, using online mapping tools to add smaller cemeteries with 200 or fewer plots, and sharing photos and other relevant information with the online community. Although burial information is a matter of public record, Names in Stone adheres to a policy of obtaining authorization from individual cemeteries to publish their records

The ability of users to find burial information and locations online is welcomed by cemetery staffs, for whom it will save many hours of research. In cooperation with Teleflora, a national floral delivery service, Names in Stone even allows visitors to order flowers online for delivery to the gravesite of a family member.

“Conventional cemetery Web sites provide an alphabetical listing of burials,” says Day. “Names in Stone shows you where someone is buried.”

In prosperous times, most people have enough cash to meet expenses and even put aside something for a rainy day. They hold onto their assets or sell them for major, one-time wants or needs, like funding a year of college or a luxury vacation.

But now the rainy day has come, and for many it’s turning into a torrential downpour. Financially squeezed families are looking to cut costs any way they can, and funerals are one area they target, foregoing limousine rides, expensive caskets and elaborate tombstones in favor of simpler and less costly services and merchandise, according to funeral experts. With bills piling up, “luxuries” like burial insurance premiums tend to land on the bottom of the stack, and that tiny piece of real estate in the cemetery suddenly represents a mortgage payment or food on the table for a month or two.

If you’re thinking of selling burial plots for some quick cash, though, keep in mind that while the proceeds from the sale of cemetery real estate may keep the lights and telephone on for a few more months, selling a burial plot is definitely not a money-making proposition. As in the broader real estate market, many sellers and few buyers have driven down prices, creating a buyer’s market for cemetery plots. And according to  Ken Brant – marketing director for GraveSolutions, a multi-listing website for the sale of cemetery property – sales can be slow, with plots taking up to 15 months to move.