Few would want to buy a house only to find bodies from the previous owner's family buried in the back yard.
Pretty much agree, although for 18 years, my parents lived on land that contained a privately owned and abandoned family cemetery plot with a dozen, possibly 13 bodies. The section of land with the cemetery fell under a state conservation estuary rule where it could not be altered, built upon, divided, or in any way parceled out. Out of basic respect, my Dad went to the town archives, obtained paperwork and a map, and started trimming back thick foliage, weeding before realizing the physical labor was too much. He hired two Catholic day workers (probably illegal), to assist him. They left the sizable trees, clipped back or removed brush and shrubs, lots of poison ivy, righted and repaired three toppled and cracked headstones. Dad cleaned off the moss, lichens, dirt with water and a scrub brush. A crude fence of pine branches, logs, and brush was erected around the plot. Dad made a simple sign indicating the family name from the archives. He posted that, said prayers, placed flowers at each grave from time to time. He never asked permission or made public his activities. (To avoid expensive bureaucracy, legal entanglements, and so on.) Unless the state, township, or new owners have kept the place up, it has probably returned to its wild state by now. Yes, my parents knew about the plot when they bought the land. No, they are not buried there.
If they had not been in the military, I would have tried to #1, inter them in Calvary Cemetery in NYC as we have ancestors in different sections. It’s an absolutely huge burial ground, run by the Diocese of Brooklyn. Mom was born in Brooklyn, Dad in Queens. #2 Choice would have been in one of two Long Island Catholic cemeteries, the preferred still run by the Diocese of Brooklyn, the other by the Diocese of Rockville Center. Since they were still registered as belonging to a novus ordo parish, this may have been a help or hinderance. #3 Choice would have been a well kept local non-sectarian public cemetery overlooking the Long Island Sound. In all three cases, I’d have had the priest who gave them Last Rites bless the graves.
Fortunately, none of this was needed as they already had a guaranteed grave in a local Veteran’s Cemetery. It was simply a matter of choosing the mode of interment, type of plaque, and what was written on it. The VA was accommodating and professional. They allowed the priest to personally bless the grave prior to burial, although due to c-sickness restrictions still in effect, we were not permitted to participate. We chose the standard coffin burial with white military headstone, engraved on either side. (Other choices were burial underground, either in coffin or urn, with a flat metal plaque, or cremation niche with engraved wall memorial, indoors or outdoors. My sister left the Faith years ago, but has retained a degree of what is proper. We both agreed upon wanting a standard in ground burial with standing headstone. Neither of us believes in cremation.)
Now, c o u l d we have buried them in the back yard of our childhood home? Not legally, I don’t think. If the area were still truly rural as it was in 1956, it may well have been possible to have a family plot if three and 1/4 acres was enough land. Now? While a three + acre plot against a skinny 1/16 acre wildlife easement is larger and more private than the surrounding community, who’d want in the future to buy a suburban home with somebody’s grandparents buried in the back yard? Whenever, whomever sells the house would probably require our descendants to dig them up for burial elsewhere, or end up in an urn from Amazon Prime, on the mantelpiece!
There are plenty of pets buried in that backyard! Two dogs, Ensign, a lab mutt mix, Prince, a Weimaraner, cats, Hilda Puss, Hep Smith, Buttons, Friar Tuck, Dusty, Mr. Kitty, Pumpkin, Riley, Lover Boy, Felice, rabbits, Mustachio, Harry, budgies, Bugler, Pistachio, Loretta, assorted fish, Goldie, Mr. Black, Mrs. Goggle, Santa Claus, et. al. Sally the salamander, two newts, Dottie and Mr. Green, a garter snake, Gertrude, a couple of crayfish whose names I don’t recall, several mice, Stuart, Pinky, and three guinea pigs, Pepper, Ginger, and Cinnamon.