Is it legal to sell a Gravestone

[Hilltop]

Thank You for reading my post. A while ago I did a house clean out and found two Gravesones in the basement. I asked the home owners about them and they said they were in the house when their parents bought it back in the 50's. They told me at one time there was a cemetary on the property over a hundred years ago before the house was built. I asked if they should stay with the house and they told me no to please remove them. One is a cross that reads Grandson and the other is about a 3 foot rounded top slab with a lamb on the top the name is Federick Schmit born June 6 1872 Died Aug, 31 1874. The dates are written in German. I did some research on the property and I could not fine and records of a cenetary ever being there. So I was thinking it might have been a family plot. As for the grandson stone how would research that. As for the 2 year old I have been to many websites and took the drive to city hall and the town hall and could find nothing. Contacting the family would be the right thing to do but I keep hitting walls. As cool as they are I really don't want these just sitting around. So I ask can I sell them and were can I sell them. I know the bay is right out. I don't even know what the value of them would be. Thank you for your help.

[mart]

There are legal ramifications but would have to check again !! Have you tried Ancestry.com or some of the other geneology sites ?? Did they know why the headstones had been removed ?? Its possible the graves were moved and new headstones were installed. I rented an old ranch house back in the late 70`s and there was a small plot in the pasture there !! One was a person that died 100 years before !! My parents were raised in the area and knew the family well !!

[Hilltop]

Mart, Thank You for replying. Yes I did a search on Ancestry and a few other sites. I can not find any info anywhere. The owners of the home did not know anything about them. All they knew was they were there for as long as they could remember. I asked them many questions like did they ever look for the family. They said their parents tried to do some digging around after they bought the house but did not find anything, The lady told me when she was in her 20's she started looking again and then again in her 50's and could not find a thing. I did searched as hard as I could and could not find anything. I do know that some states have laws against this but when I was searching New York State I could not find any laws against it. I just want to make sure I'm right and how to sell them.

[mart]

Have you tried your county tax office ?? Often county records work much better for this type research !! Of course you would have to take a day and go read the county records !!
Your local historical society is another good resource !! Often they have already done the research for early families in an area !!

[Hilltop]

Yes I have tried the tax records, county clerks office city and town offices and nothing.

[mart]

What are the names ??  Frederick Schmit ?? If he died in 1974 there is a record of it !! Death cert would be on record !! Is the spelling correct ??

[cogar]

Did you check local Monument Dealers to see if they have a record of the sale of said?

Mart, what are those legal ramifications you spoke of?

To make sure they were not reported stolen from a cemetery, maybe?

[Hilltop]

Okay so I ran into an old friends mother today who is a medium and I asked her if she would like to look at these. She came over and told me the stone with the lamb has a lot of energy to it and the cross has very little. I found out I had the name spelled wrong. Now back to the drawing board. Nothing on line yet.

[mart]

https://www.auctionzip.com/azforum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1260

See what this says,, it is specifically speaking about NY law in regard to selling gravestones/markers !! I couldn`t get it to load !!

[Hilltop]

Yes I saw this too. It only talks about veterans markers only. I know it is a crime to sell anything from a veterans grave as it is Federal Property. These are not veterans and the child was only 2 years old and after war time.

[mart]

Did you check local Monument Dealers to see if they have a record of the sale of said?

Mart, what are those legal ramifications you spoke of?

To make sure they were not reported stolen from a cemetery, maybe?

That was one reason and in the case of family plots, removing the markers would leave a burial site unmarked or something to that effect !!  Here family plots (I think) have to be fenced off so livestock don`t trample the site !!
Texas remember !! Some old laws are still on the books !!

[Rauville]

Why don't you contact these folks and get their opinion on what could be done?
https://gravestonestudies.org/welcome/contact-us

[Hilltop]

Rauville Thank You I will call them first thing Tuesday.

[mart]

What is the correct spelling ??  Maybe we can find something ??

[Hilltop]

Mart, I left the rubbings at the store I will scan them and post them here tomorrow. Maybe that will help.