Questions may be submitted by email to c[email protected] and will be answered. Those of general interest will be included on this page if not already addressed here.

Who owns the cemetery?
    The cemetery is owned by the Crumpton Cemetery Association of Queen Anne's County, Inc. See the history page for 
information on the origins of the cemetery and how it evolved over the years.


Who governs the cemetery and oversees the day-to-day operations?
    A Board of Directors governs the cemetery.


Is it a perpetual care cemetery?
    Yes.


Does some of my money go into a special account that I retain a financial interest in, to be used to take care of my lot and monuments?
    No, all perpetual care funds are held together and invested. Neither the cemetery association nor an individual lot owner has the right to use any of the perpetual care contributions.


I do not understand. If it is contributed for perpetual care, why is it not used for cemetery maintenance and repairs?
    Funds that are designated as perpetual care contributions are, by law, "in trust" for the future, must be invested in a manner that will be government insured, and may not be spent for any reason. The interest earned on these invested funds may be used by the cemetery association for maintenance and certain expenses specifically allowed by law.


If a monument on my lot is in need of repair, will the cemetery association repair it using the interest earned by perpetual care investments?
    The law does not allow the cemetery association to spend perpetual care investment earnings on monument repairs. The monument is purchased by and owned by the lot owner or his family. If you are aware of stone repairs made in the older section of the cemetery,  it is because there are no known surviving family members and care has been taken to insure the repairs were made with funds other than perpetual care investment earnings. There are no legal requirements for the cemetery association to make these repairs, or provisions for their costs, but they are made to preserve the appearance of the cemetery for the community benefit, and out of respect for the citizens who were buried there long ago.


After I purchase a burial lot, can I do whatever I wish with it--plant bushes & trees, sell it, etc.?
    No. You have not actually purchased the land. Rather, you have purchased the specified number of burial rights in that space. Any actions you take that affects the burial lot must conform to the current regulations of the Cemetery. Under Maryland law, a cemetery has no obligation to buy back a lot that is no longer wanted by the purchaser. You can sell your lot, however, with permission of the cemetery association. New owners must be registered with the cemetery association and be issued a new deed. You can also dispose of your lot through your will. Otherwise ownership passes to your legal heirs.


When I purchase a burial lot, are all costs associated with the interment of myself or my family members pre-paid at that time?
    No. There will be a charge at the time of death for entering the cemetery and opening a grave. The family will be informed of that amount and it will be collected by your funeral director at the time of death and of the making of funeral arrangements. If you prepay funeral expenses through a funeral director, they will, at your request, add an estimated amount for the cemetery fee and grave opening expense.


Some people give donations or request memorial donations to the cemetery at the time of their death. Why is this necessary in view of the cost of burial lots?
    This is necessary, and very welcome, because the cemetery has only two sources of income--interest received from the Perpetual Care investments and the sale of lots. The cemetery contributes half of the income from the sale of a burial lot to Perpetual Care and retains only half. The economy has a large effect on the income the cemetery receives. Interest rates are extremely low, so the income from that source has been cut drastically. A bad economy also deters people from buying cemetery burial lots unless they have an immediate need.


Why does the cemetery need so much money to cover expenses? How much are the directors paid?
     The directors receive no pay. There are miscellaneous expenses such as liability insurance, road repairs, flower and decoration removal following funerals and holidays, tree maintenance, etc. The large expenditure is grass mowing, which averages approximately $8,000.  In a drought year, it is less and in a wet year, it is more.  


Is the cemetery going to run out of burial lots soon?
    There is sufficient space for a long time. Ten acres was donated in 2010 from the adjoining farm. This has not been laid out in burial lots yet, which will be a very large expenditure when the time arrives.


I have family buried in the Crumpton cemetery and would like to help in some way, but I cannot afford to make a donation. Is there any way I can help?
    Help is always appreciated. Sticks fall out of  trees; seasonal decorations need to be removed in a timely manner. Take an hour any time you wish and pick up sticks or trash. These can be placed in the trash barrel behind the shed. Contact us and offer your assistance for the next cleanup day, especially in the late winter or early spring when the Christmas cleanup is needed.


I have a great idea for a fund raiser! Do you want to hear it?
    We definitely want to hear from you. Any idea will be considered to see if it is feasible for us. Would you consider helping with it or organizing it?


I always decorate my family member's grave nicely on major holidays out of love and respect, and because I miss him so much and it makes me feel better to do this. Why are these items removed?
    We understand and respect your feelings. However, if you want the seasonal items kept for reuse, please come back in a reasonable time period and remove them. One of the nicest things about small town cemeteries is seeing the unique and loving way people honor their deceased family members, but we ask you to understand that Easter bunnies and eggs are not appropriate in July, jack-o-lanterns, black cats and witches are not appropriate at Christmas and decorated Christmas trees are not appropriate at Easter, regardless of how nice it looked when you placed it there. Even if you find it acceptable for these items to be there at any time of year, people who have loved ones buried in the same area do not. We need to be considerate of our cemetery neighbors, as we would be of our community neighbors. Also, bear in mind that mowing is a necessity April through October and we cannot ask the people who are doing the mowing to stop the mower,  move your items while they mow, and then stop and replace them.  The mowing and trimming in a cemetery is a huge job and the difficulty we cause them will be reflected in the price.


I plant flowers on my family members' graves, but when I return, they are  gone.
    Sometimes, if someone plants flowers and does not return regularly to water them, they die. Sometimes the flowers become so overgrown with grass or weeds that they have to be mowed off or cut when the trimming around the stones is done. We do not have a caretaker to perform weeding or watering chores, and the grass cutters have to maintain an overall attractiveness and neatness while moving as quickly as possible. It takes one man an entire day to mow and trim around the stones in our cemetery. If you wish to have flowers growing permanently on a grave, you must return regularly to maintain the area. They still would have to be planted in a way that would permit free movement of the mowers. They cannot be expected to mow around little clumps of  flowers or items placed in the middle of the grave. Please stand a moment in the grass cutter's shoes before you make a decision about what to place on a grave.


I decorate my family gravesites with silk flowers. Silk does not die, so why do you remove them?
    Sometimes you decorate with silk flowers that become inappropriate as the seasons pass, such as glitter covered pointsettias. Sometimes your silk flowers are struck by weed trimmers while the grass cutters are trying to trim and keep things neat around your monument and decorations. When they become ragged, or if they have simply become faded and unattractive, they have to be removed. At this point, these items are no longer honoring your loved one, and are offensive to those with family buried in nearby graves. We feel we are doing you a favor by removing them.


When I place potted Easter flowers on a grave, then return with fresh flowers for Mothers' Day, I would like to remove the Easter flowers but do not want to put the dirty pots that are covered with grass clippings, and possibly mud, in my car. What can I do  with them?
    There is a barrel behind the shed that you can place your items in. It will be emptied periodically. Please do not pile large amounts of trash on the ground behind the shed or elsewhere.


What about funeral flowers following my family member's burial. Am I responsible for removing them?
    Funeral flowers are removed after a reasonable interval by the Cemetery Association, and are disposed of off-premises.


One of my family members has chosen cremation. I  wish to bury the cremains. Am I  allowed to come to the cemetery and bury the urn in my family plot? 
    No one is permitted to perform any burial in the cemetery without cemetery permission. Burial of cremains in family plots is  permitted, but you must contact the Association for the proper procedure. We also want that person's name placed in our burial records for posterity.
    We have established an area of the cemetery that is dedicated to the burial of cremains. It is laid out in lots appropriate in size for that purpose. Rules and prices are available upon inquiry.


I have had flowers and grave ornamentation items stolen. What are you  going to do about it, and are you going to reimburse me for the value of these items?
    Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about thefts. It is a sad commentary on the character of some people that they would steal from graves. You have no way of guarding and protecting the items that you place in the cemetery, nor do we. The cemetery association cannot be responsible for personal items placed in the cemetery, and directors deal with the same type of losses as you. Our liability insurance does not cover loss or damage to personal items, including your monuments. You can inform law enforcement officials of your loss if you wish, but there is little they can do unless someone witnesses the event.


The graves are all covered with nice green grass except for my loved one's grave. It has bare ground and a few weeds. What do I  do?
    Contact us about the situation. This is one of the maintenance jobs we perform.


www.crumptonmdcemetery.com