I have been considering having a private cemetary built on our ranch.  Does anyone know the legalities of this, or who I would have to talk to about it?  Do I have to get permission?  Also, if I would get a cemetary built, and wanted to have the graves of my grandparents/greatgrandparents moved from the town to there, would that be more hassel than it is worth?  I feel that I may be getting into something very difficult here.  I would like to have everyone together as the built place from the ground up in the 1850s starting out with just 80acres.  What are your thoughts?  Anyone tried this in the past?

Just do it!

You're in the place of tactical accessories, camouflage and night vision! Who needs permission? Just do your work at night and keep your mouth shut and nobody will be the wiser. [:)]

One thing though, do you really think that your grandparents/greatgrandparents would want you digging them up and moving them around? I know that when I die, I just want to be stuck in a pine box and planted. No big funeral, just throw me in a hole and forget about me. I sure as hell don't want somebody digging me up after 50 years. Just something to think about.

Just to tack on another question on the same track. Does anybody know about the legalities of being embalmed? What if I don't want to be embalmed, so I can rot like I was intended to do. Is there some kind of law about this stuff?

This is some wierd but interesting stuff.

More laws than you could imagine.  I worked for a funeral home for a while, and the owners  couldn't even keep up with all of them.  In South Carolina, you have to be embalmed.  You have to buried by someone licensed.  If you are transported, it has to be done by someone licensed.  You can't legally die here without paying your tax to the funeral profession.z

I think it depends on where you live. Here in Az., at least in Cochise County, you have to have at least 10 acres and a caretaker's name on file with the county. I looked into this a few years back and may have forgotten some points, but those were the two major ones.
As far as exhuming relatives and moving them, I would be inclined to think that would also depend on the county/state.

Ponyboy, embalming is not required by law, but if you are going to have an open casket funeral, I highly recommend embalming. Of course, if you don't want people at your funeral, open casket/no embalming would probably do it. Especially in Texas in the summer.

Edited to say embalming must be a state to state type of thing, also.
In 1998, when my mother died, we were going to bury her on the property. After doing some checking. we found that my mother and father could both be buried in the same grave at Riverside National Cemetary. My father decided that would be the place.
My mother was placed in a sealed casket, no embalming. My brother came out from Ca. and drove her to Ca. in the back of his pick-up. Sounds kinda shoddy reading it in type, but everybody wanted to do something at the time and that was how my brother wanted to deal with things. Her death was sudden and unexpected, so no real plans had been made in advance.
Anyhow, check your local laws, they do seem to vary, place to place.

GWF, like your post.  We had my mother cremated and then buried at the feet of my grandfather in an old church cemetery.  My Uncle and I dug the hole and the family did the services.  It was a very nice small service, only family.