What You Can Learn in a Cemetery!

Cemeteries are interesting places for genealogists. More and more cemetery records are being made available on the web, providing names and dates. Often these records don't tell the full story. The inscriptions can add to the knowledge of an individual. The symbols engraved in the granite or marble can add to what we know about the individual.

The location in relationship to other graves can provide clues, or perhaps puzzles. In the picture above is one of the Swarthout family mysteries. Why is Johnathan's wife, Mary, (as stated on the gravestone!) buried on the other side of, and so close to, Nathaniel? Johnathon's headstone is the white marble one on the left, and Nathaniel and Mary are on the right, so close they are touching. (Note: I finally found the answer to this one! Bless the Michigan DAR! Nathaniel was Mary's first husband, Johnathan was her second one!)

As I mentioned in "The Blue and the Gray," my final confirmation of my great great grandfather's participation in the Civil War came from the inscription on his gravestone. But there is more than just the obvious words inscribed. Symbols can be important too!

The symbols that are carved into the stone can provide leads. A gun or a flag could indicate military service, something that may never have been mentioned in anything you had found to this point in your research. There are a couple of pages on the Olive Tree Genealogy that can provide insight as to the meanings of the symbols and initials often found on grave stones.
Graves http://olivetreegenealogy.com/misc/grave...
Symbols http://olivetreegenealogy.com/misc/grave...

It was common practice for many organizations to place a metal symbol or flag holder at the grave to commemorate the individuals membership or participation. This might have been attached to the stone itself, or commonly staked beside the headstone. Unfortunately, time, vandals and over zealous maintenance personnel have removed or destroyed them. Joyce Tice has a put together a fabulous web site on these grave markers with pictures of many examples. http://www.rootsweb.com/~srgp/flaghold/f...

The Political Graveyard is a neat web site and well worth a visit. You may discover that your ancestor was a representative of some political party at a caucus, or even an early representative in another state. And if you know more about the individual, or the gravesite, you can submit your information to be included in the next update.

http://politicalgraveyard.com

Inscriptions can provide even more information. In addition to the genealogy specifics, such as dates, often additional info is carved into the stone, such as parents or spouses name. Others will even include the place of birth.

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