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Help Files
Cemetery Research |
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Help Files
Cemetery Research |
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Cemetery Research The early settlers of the New World took great pains to commemorate the deaths of their friends and relatives. Cemeteries can be a critical source of genealogical information. Plot placement, tombstone inscriptions, and cemetery records can fill in missing blanks in your research, lead you in new directions, or add insight to your knowledge of your ancestors as people. The question is often asked "Why should I visit a cemetery if I already have a death date and certificate?" You may find out about children who died in infancy that you never knew about or a grave marker is engraved with a some symbol which suggest other records which may contain additional information. Children who died in infancy may suggest clues to family relationships that you may have never known about. Economic and business issues can also be analyzed with information from public cemeteries and private graveyards. The wealth of a region can be measured by the differences in costs and sizes of tombstones in various communities. One can measure the status of individuals or families within a region by the same criteria. The designs on gravestones are valuable sources of information. Many early tombstones constitute the earliest known examples of American sculpture. For this reason, it is important to identify the works of individual carvers and trace the evolution of their designs. The design tradition can also explain what our ancestors believed about their lives and death, and how these perceptions have changed over the years. When visiting the locality where ancestors resided, allow time for searching death and burial records and visiting the actual cemetery. The cemeteries and official records are seldom located at the same site. Some localities have published tombstone inscriptions and surveys. Researchers have found discrepancies between official records and the information contained on tombstone inscriptions. The same applies to tombstone surveys. Mistakes can be made in the original survey and in the copying of the survey notes to the typewriter or computer. Where your ancestors lived in a given locality often influenced where they were actually buried. Travel was limited, and people were usually buried close to where they lived. Until the late 1800's, it wasn't uncommon for people to be buried somewhere on the property where they resided. Topographic maps are another good way of finding locations of possible cemeteries. You can also find information by contacting local historical societies and the chamber of commerce. As you visit the various cemeteries, you should try to assemble the following information: 1. Map or geographic description giving its accurate location. There are several types of cemeteries: public, private, family, church, and fraternal. Everything about their records varies: the information, location, and accessibility to the public. Some cemeteries are abandoned when all the descendants either die off , move away, or the property changes hands. Public cemeteries are owned and maintained with taxpayer money by a governmental authority (usually a city, county, or town). The actual records may be at the courthouse, city hall, cemetery office, or health department. Private cemeteries are run by profit oriented businesses. They are also referred to as Memorial Parks in some areas. Their records are considered private. Some will allow free public access, others will charge you for searches. Family cemeteries range from a few gravestones in a corner pasture to larger cemeteries where not only the extended family was buried, but others from the community who had close ties with the family. These records, if they exist, tend to be difficult to find. On occasions, these records may have been deposited at a local public or historical society library. In other cases, you must contact the family directly. Church cemeteries may adjoin the church or be located some distance away. Church burial registers may take some digging to find. They may still be on file at the church, but in many cases they moved with a minister or are archived at another location such as a regional church archives of the same denomination. Once burial space in the churchyard became full, the churches would need to acquire additional land. Churches also merged and split. This can affect the cemeteries and their records. Fraternal organizations will either have their own private cemeteries or a special section within a larger cemetery. The burial records may or may not be accessible to the public. In some cases, researchers can get the standard death certificate from the locality, but an official burial record must be obtained from the organization. Researchers will sometimes encounter a situation where the cemetery has been relocated. Public works projects or land development needs may cause a cemetery to close or be moved. The government has consolidated many military cemeteries over the years. In these cases, attempts were made to identify all the burials and move the remains to another location, but the original relationship of the graves to each other may be lost. When a cemetery is move because of new land developments, the developers may or may not make any effort to preserve the records. Church cemetery records could be affected by factors such as: the need to acquire new land as the original cemetery was filled to capacity, mergers, and church splits. Sexton Records: The sexton was a designated caretaker responsible for burials and maintenance of the cemetery. Both public and private cemeteries have sexton's records. Sexton's records vary, but may include burial registers, plats, plot records, and deed records for the plots. You may also find records of grave openings, indicating an ordinary burial, that a body was exhumed and shipped elsewhere, or that someone else is buried in the same grave. Burial Registers: These will be in chronological order by the date of burial and may be indexed. If not, you will have to search through the lists based on the estimated date of death. The burial register may only have the name, burial date, and plot, others may also include the age, birthplace, marital status, death date and place, and cause of death. Plats: Plat maps of a cemetery show grave locations and plot ownership. Active cemeteries keep these current in order to facilitate the sale of empty plots as ownership changes. Dates are usually not shown. If the plot owner is different from the surname your researching, these may be of little assistance. Plot Records: These usually contain the following information: names of the plot owner, date of purchase, and names/dates of burials in the plot. If the plot is in perpetual care, which requires a yearly maintenance fee, you might luck into finding a present-day descendant on the records. In most (but not all) cases, everyone one buried in the plot is related. As with any type of land transaction, the cemetery plot owner receives a deed. It is recorded in the cemetery records by the sexton. In some localities, they also have a special deed book devoted to cemetery plots. Funeral Home Records: Funeral homes and morticians can be very helpful in finding cemeteries and their records. There is always a money trail from any type of funeral and their records can sometimes be more detailed than official records. Many families tend to use the same morticians for all funerals within the family. In some localities, the funeral director collects the information for the death certificates and the obituary. These records can give you birth dates, places, siblings, children, occupations, and other personal information. Collecting information from gravestones can be difficult because stones may be chipped, worn, or covered with mold, moss, or dirt. Researchers must exercise extreme caution when using any substances on a gravestone to enhance its readability. Before using any of the techniques mentioned in this information sheet, you are required to get the permission of the local cemetery officials. Failure to do so may result in stiff fines and additional penalties for yourself, and will likely jeopardize any future attempts by researchers to gain the same access you enjoyed. Some sources recommend the use of white chalk rubbed over the surface or worked into the lettering of worn stones. If this method is used, please make sure the chalk contains no oil content. When the chalk is removed, make sure to gently rub the surface. Some cemeteries prohibit any use of chalk. Mirrors can be used to heighten the shadows on stones by deflecting light onto the face of the stone. Moistening the face of a stone with plain water can also enhance readability. If the tombstone is covered with moss, dirt, or mold, they must be cleaned before they can be photographed or information transcribed. Observe the following procedures under these circumstances: DO USE DON'T USE When copying tombstone inscriptions, researchers should write the words as they appear on the stone. Care should be taken that their letters and numbers are clear. The numbers 3, 5, and 8 are easily confused if your handwriting is sloppy. To ensure accuracy, it is an excellent idea to photograph the tombstone from various angles. When working in old cemeteries, researchers should also be cautious for their own personal safety. Cracked or loose stones could easily topple. Poison ivy is also common in many old cemeteries. Even in winter, its stems and roots can be dangerous. Insects and snakes can also present problems. Visitors should wear protective clothing including long sleeves, pants, high boots, and gloves Compiled by Bryan L. Mulcahy, Reference Librarian, Fort Myers-Lee County Library, 9/28/98 |
