Clerk outlines cemetery deed issues: 37 cemeteries, original‑deed rules and online tracking proposals

The county clerk reported on recurring problems with cemetery deed recordkeeping and suggested steps to improve access and reduce confusion for residents and genealogists.

Clerk Laura Holdridge told commissioners the county recognizes roughly 37 cemeteries in Bourbon County; 16 of those cemeteries receive tax assessments and roughly $60,000 per year in tax monies (as noted in the meeting) flows to those 16, the clerk said. Holdridge described practical problems: several cemeteries do not submit original deed documents to the county’s records office, records vary in completeness, and long‑standing volunteer cemetery boards sometimes misplace or lack originals. She emphasized that the county cannot accept copies as originals for recordation and that copies of deeds do not substitute for the original instrument if the statute requires an original.

Holdridge suggested cemeteries collaborate to create a shared online index or Excel sheet so members of the public and genealogists can locate contact information and understand what instruments exist for each cemetery. She said some cemeteries add the county recording fee to the plot price and then submit original deeds to the county, while others do not. The clerk also said she has materials on the county website listing fees and noted that cemetery volunteers and boards need support in digitizing or organizing historical records. She asked commissioners to approve outreach to cemetery boards to offer guidance and to consider whether the county can facilitate shared tools or training for cemetery recordkeepers.

Commissioners asked staff to follow up and coordinate with genealogy groups that had offered assistance, and they asked the clerk to return with a plan for how the county might provide tech support or suggested workflows for cemeteries that want to digitize records.