:: GussetBLOG ::

:: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 ::

Meet you at the Cemetery Gates

Church, genealogist in tussle

"Among the hundreds of graves in the Old Union Christian Church Cemetery on Russell Cave Road, genealogist David Shannon found those of several relatives, including his great-grandparents Julia and Lloyd Harp.

"With beginner's zeal, Shannon began to compile the names, birth and death dates on the tombstones, which date back to the early 1800s. "Once I got into it, I figured other people trying to find ancestors would find information in the cemetery helpful," he said.

"So he created an independent research Web site, www.oldunioncemetery.com, where he's posted the information on the 475 documented burials collected and a photograph of each visible stone.

"But the church board at Old Union took offense.

"In February, the church's governing board sent Shannon a letter telling him "to cease publishing pictures of stones ... not part of your family because it is sharing family information without their consent."

Labels: Law, Privacy

:: Dan 18.3.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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