Janice Tracy

Are Burials Becoming Extinct?



Posted: Sunday, October 26, 2008

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Last evening, we had dinner with two other couples who are close friends. It was a lovely dinner, with stimulating conversation that included topics such as our children and grandchildren, the woes of our local sports teams, the upcoming election, and cremation. Yes, cremation became a dinner topic when one of the hosts brought up the subject of her "final plans." Instead of a morbid conversation, it was rather enlightening, and I would like to share a few thoughts here today about that particular topic.

I have seen a trend in metropolitan areas during the past few years that people are now considering cremation their first choice when making those "final plans," and a "Celebration of Life" or a memorial service is held in lieu of a traditional funeral service. Two of the couples from dinner belong to two very large churches near where we live, one Methodist and one Catholic, and these churches have already added a section known as a "columbarium" to their chapels. The "columbarium" is a small space in a wall where families can preserve the ashes of their departed loved ones. Each space is marked with the name of the deceased and the date of death. In addition to the word "columbarium," I also learned another new word recently, "inurnment," which means "to encase the ashes of the deceased in an urn."

One reason for this shift in tradition is the simple fact that large metropolitan areas are running out of room, and in some cases not making room, for cemeteries. Building hotels, business towers, and high-rise condos seems to be of a much higher importance, and sometimes small, old, family cemeteries must be moved to make way for the construction. The availability of burial plots in already existing cemeteries has become scarce and if plots are available, they are very expensive. A single plot in an older, more well-established cemetery can cost anywhere from $3,500 to $10,000, depending on its location, i.e., whether it is in close proximity to a major street, the maintenance barn, or a parking lot. Findng multiple gravesites together is increasingly more difficult.

The prices alone for these burial plots make cremation seem a much more attractive option to some.

What is the future of the cemetaries of our country? Are they becoming obsolete in the cities? Are we facing a change in how our families feel about treating the remains of their loved one?

And what does this mean to us as genealogists and family historians?

How will be trace our roots?

Janice Tracy is a native Mississippian who writes about genealogy and family history.  She writes two blogs, Mississippi Memories and Cemeteries of Dancing Rabbit Creek.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)
» left by Sandra E. Graham
 3 years 93 days ago.
247 fans.
Thoughtful article, Janice. I have often wondered myself when we might someday run out of room for cemetaries. As our populations continue to grow and our space becomes smaller and smaller there will be need for much change in how we manage that space. I am currently living in a small country community with few people and more land, but I know this will not last forever as more and more people are moving out here from the cities. I currently own four plots in the cemetary at our church and to date, we aren't required to purchase the plots--a small yearly donation to pay for landscaping is all that is required at present. That too may change within the next few years.
 
Thanks for sharing your views with us.
 
Sandra
» left by Janice 3 years 91 days ago.
Thank you, Sandra, for reading the article and for sharing your comments.
» left by Anonymous 3 years 91 days ago.
Interesting discussion. Learned some new words and their definitions. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the thought of space being such a big consideration when deciding something this important. Ultimately I feel you should respect the decision of the deceased whether or not you agree with their decision. Hopefully they've shared their final plans with you.
» left by Janice 3 years 91 days ago.
Thank you for your comments.
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