Folks,

Hope someone can educate me on this issue!

I have a dozen or so family members in one of the older Catholic cemeteries in DC. All have markers, save one couple... one d 1907, the other 1926.

The location of the site was verified twice with the cemetery office, but the only thing found there is a flat monument for another family (with last name only). This monument is partially buried. The area around it is empty, though the cemetery map shows several names for that immediate area. I have poked around with a metal probe to see if I strike anything a few inches into the soil, but nothing has stopped the probe leading me to believe there are no sunken stones.

I have every reason to believe that a stone would have been purchased. The family was not destitute, owned property in the District, and the couple had sons and daughters who they still spent time with (in fact, one daughter and son in law with kids lived in the house with them at the time of both deaths). Also, the husband was a wounded Civil War vet (Union, regular Army, and was a career soldier, though wounded to the point that he could only be a guard at the AGO's office), and had an invalid pension, and wife had widows pension. (I have seen the windows pension file... no mention of a grave marker is made)

Asking the cemetery about the missing stone, I am told there are no records as to whether a stone originally sat there or not, and if I want to put one there, it's my dime.

Another cemetery in Baltimore also has no stone for a couple I feel fairly sure would have had a stone. I have asked them to investigate if a stone once sat there or not, but keep getting put off for an answer (though they keep telling me they can find out for me).

So, to make a long story short (to late now!), is the cemetery responsible for the markers? Or the family? Is it up to me to replace them? Or should the cemetery be replacing them?

Thanks!
Denny