FINDING A CEMETERY

Being able to locate and visit an ancestor's grave has been an emotional exprience for many geneologists. But beyond that, there is valuable information you can gather from a cemetery, or the records you obtain from a cemetery. Your ancestor's headstone will provide birth and death dates (but, remember that this information is a secondary source, the primary sources being the birth and death certificates). It may mention military service, spouse, children, and parents.

The first thing you need in your search is the name of the cemetery. Obituaries, funeral homes, church affiliation, and your living relatives' memories of family plots will help your sleuthing. If you are still unable to find where your target ancestor was buried, start with what you know. If you have the name of a cemetery where another ancestor from that branch of the family is buried, send for the lot record. Our ancestors were often buried together on a family plot. Illya D'Addezio, in the article Writing to a Cemetery for Lot Cards, tells you how to do that, and what information you might find on a lot card.

Once you have the name of a cemetery, contact information is becoming easier to find as more information is going on line. Some places to check are:

1. Cemetery Junction - Enter name of cemetery. It will take you to a screen where you choose the state. From there it will give you a list of cemetery addresses.

2. Interment.net - Provides many links and varied information, including cemetery information outside of the United States. You will find addresses and many interment listings. You may want to spend a little time looking around this site. If you get lucky, you will find your ancestor listed by name.

3. Cyndi's List - Cemeteries and Funeral Homes - An alphabetical list of resources and cemeteries. A little harder to find what you are looking for, but an extensive list. Includes how-to's and mailing lists.

4. Yale Peabody Museum: GNIS Database - Search engine to find the exact location of a cemetery. Type in the name of the cemetery. In the boxes below, scroll and click on the state, scroll and click on cemetery. Then, enter the county (if you have that info) in the information box below these. It will give you the co-ordinates to find the cemetery on the map.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Online information about cemeteries is growing. Volunteers walk cemeteries in their area, and transcribe information that they find on tombstones. With the beautiful spring weather around the corner, it will be time to get outdoors. It's the perfect time to adopt a cemetery in your area. The following places would welcome the information you gather:

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