Searching for the cemetery where my great great-grandparents are buried. Jorgen Nielsen born 28 April 1811 Gamtofte Sogn, Bag Herred and died 29 November 1894 Gamtofte Sogn, Bag Herred. His wife Karen Hansdatter born 8 September 1811 Gamtofte Sogn, Bag Herred and died 28 February 1864 Gamtofte Sogn, Bag Herred.
Karen Hansdatters death 28.02.1864 in Gamtofte, Odense (AO 68)
Jørgen Nielsens death 29.11.1894 is in Gamtofte, Odense (AO 181)
Both buried in Gamtofte Cemetery
Adress for the cemetery:
Gamtofte Kirke
Brahesborgvej 49
5610 Assens
How do I find this cemetery on Find A Grave ?
Try this:
http://www.dk-gravsten.dk/kirkeg/Gamtofte.php
But a grave is only secure for 20 years in Denmark - so you must be very lucky to find such old burials.
A grave is only secure for twenty years ? What does that mean ? What happens after twenty years to the grave ?
If no one wants to pay to get the grave prolonged, then the stone will be removed (and evt. crushed), and the place will be ready for the next inhabitant.....
Oh my, I didn't know that someone had to pay to prolong the grave. That does not seem right to me. I do not think that happens in America.
It is not quite rigth with 20 years, it can be between 20 and 35 years, depending af the ground.
For special stones they will come in a lapedarium.
Best regards
B.S.mathiasen
Just for info: This is copied from Exter City Counsil: Exclusive rights of burial can be purchased for 30 or 50 years, with an option to renew at the end of the rights period.
Quite normal for USA too.
:)
:o
http://www.gamtofte-turup-kirker.dk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=55
The oldest stone I have found from my family is 1858. So some distant relative of mine is paying to keep that stone? Is this payment arranged through the church or the city government?
Is it possible for the family to keep the headstone instead of having it crushed? It just seems so...final.
In Ðenmark you are allowed to keep the headstone after the grave is dismissed. Ex put it in your own garden. But most people dont, they think it is a bit morbid.
But then again, In USA most familygraves have names engraved years before the person dies, wives, etc.
I wasshocked to see that, when I went on a familytrip to California and Michigan years ago.
Yes, it's fun to see how different our cultures are! Doing family research, I find the old headstones are my only connection to my ancestors that exists today. I will never know what they looked like or how they talked or where they lived. The headstone is the only thing that remains to tell us about them in some cases. And often times when I find a photo of the headstone or I see it on FindAGrave I feel a connection like I know where my ancestor "is". It's hard for me to understand the concept of no longer having a grave. I think that I would feel like my ancestors are just ghosts and never real people since there is nothing left on the earth to connect with.