In one aspect, a computerized method for managing tombstones in a node of a Distributed Database Base System (DDBS) includes the step of providing a rule that, for a namespace in a record of the node of the DDBS that allows expiration, mandates that a later generation's expiration time of the namespace never decreases. The computerized method includes the step of determining that an administrator of the DDBS has set an expiration time of the namespace to infinity. The computerized method includes the step of implementing a background process of the DDBS, wherein the background process scans a DDBS node's drive and flags a set of extant tombstones that are no longer covering viable namespaces or viable records. The computerized method includes the step of deleting all the flagged tombstones.