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Lakeville commission approves monument placement after multi‑year ownership review at Thompson Hill Cemetery
Summary
After reviewing decades of family records and prior memos, the Town of Lakeville Cemetery Commission on Dec. 11, 2018 granted permission to place a three‑foot monument at a Thompson Hill Cemetery lot, conditioned on a foundation and a $100 fee.
The Town of Lakeville Cemetery Commission on Dec. 11, 2018 approved a request to place a three‑foot monument at a lot in Thompson Hill Cemetery after reviewing long‑running questions about ownership and lot size raised by descendants of the Westgate/Allen family.
The commission recorded that Colleen (last name provided in the petition) requested permission dated Dec. 7, 2018 to place the monument between two existing markers. Commission members reviewed historical files and prior memoranda, including a 2009 memorandum that noted uncertainty about lot lines and a discrepancy between a drawn plan (18 grave spaces) and what town records showed (12 grave spaces). The commission concluded it had sufficient documentation to allow the monument and instructed staff to require a foundation and collect a $100 installation fee.
Why it matters: the item resolved an extended local ownership and succession question affecting interment rights at Thompson Hill Cemetery and clarified the commission’s process for approving monument placement when lineage and lot‑line questions exist.
Key details - Ownership and history reviewed: the commission considered lineage documents tracing ownership to Henry Westgate and subsequent descendants (JC Allen, Wendell G. Allen, Wayne Allen, Richard Allen) and examined prior decisions that limited the lot to 12 spaces rather than the 18 shown in some plans. - Prior practice and risk: the commission said it has historically withheld approvals where title or burial evidence was unclear, citing a 2009 memorandum that recommended not approving interments or changes until plot lines and previous interments were verified. - Decision and conditions: the commission granted permission to place a 3‑foot monument at the identified lot, required a foundation, set the cost to the petitioner at $100, and instructed staff to send the petitioner a written letter granting permission and documenting the placement. The commission recorded that it would not proactively notify Richard Allen unless he contacts the commission to raise a concern.
Process notes No formal roll call or recorded vote tally appears in the transcript; the decision was recorded in the meeting minutes and will be documented with mapping and file copies to be placed in town records.
