The Cemetery Provisions and Guidelines as approved by the Board of Trustees in November 2025, define clearly who may be buried at Old Salem.
Lots at Old Salem Shrine Cemetery are primarily reserved for purchase by and burial of descendants. A descendant is a person who has a direct ancestor who was a member of Salem EV Kirche at any time from its founding to its closing, as evidenced by the minutes thereof or other documentation.
Spouses of descendants are also eligible for lot purchase and burial. Non-descendants who have been a significant part of the Old Salem Shrine community and supportive of its mission may be approved for a lot purchase and burial by a vote of at least three-quarters of the full membership of the Board of Trustees.
Burial rights to available gravesites within purchased lots belong to the original lot owner(s) or their descendants. They have the right to use these gravesites for future burials (either full or cremation) in accordance with the Cemetery Provisions and Guidelines.
Burials shall primarily be of lot owners/spouses or descendants/spouses. If a lot owner of record is still living, burials of descendants shall be by their designation. If no lot owner of record is still living, descendants/spouses may request burial rights. Burial of a relative who is not a descendant shall require approval by the Board of Trustees.
The determination of burial rights amongst surviving descendants is to be made by the descendants/spouses of the original lot owner(s). Old Salem Shrine/Cemetery assumes no responsibility in such determinations. Descendant families are encouraged to inform the Old Salem Shrine Cemetery Committee of future burial designations so this information can be recorded.
Please email info@oldsalemshrine.org, if you’d like to review the cemetery provisions and guidelines, for lot inquiries or plot designations.