Cemetery Treasures

Information contained in a cemetery

Photo posted by Julie on FIND A GRAVE 6/05/2008 on Charles Carroll Memorial

Where, Who, When

Where: Cemeteries have information just waiting for you.  You say where is the cemetery?  They say in the town they lived in, where the family had a plot, or even, where the spouse was from.  Is where they could be buried.  Unless there was a tragedy elsewhere.  Then that changes the whole story. 

 

Who:  So now you used the death certificate to see where they are buried.  You are able to make it in person or get a photo of all sides of the headstone.  Dates check out as far as you know.  But wait,.........wait,................wait who is this other person listed at the grave ??? Can it be a child you never knew about? Can it be a spouse you never knew about?  What, they are buried with the IN-LAW??? 

 

When: Some folks get moved in their burial history, they were buried one place - well yea the one listed on the Death Cert. A new burial will not be listed on the original document.  I have not experienced this, so your really going to have to ask questions to a lot more folks then you might want to.  Just keep plugging along, the answer will be made self clear.  Keep turning over those big genealogy boulders with it's secrets underneath.  There can be amazing information contained on headstones that can be the best help you have ever received.   A while back Harvard Proffesor Henry Louis Gates Jr. helped Barbara Walters in her genealogy search.  In fact she had paid a genealogist to help her.  When Henry and his team went to work they followed the clues.  From one spot to the next in which led to the Head Stone  the information was priceless written right there the whole time.  When they say exhaustive search to be done.  Yep your exhausted, mentally and possibly, when its done.   

Photo posted by Lucy on FIND A GRAVE on Corp Wesley Philemon Carroll Memorial

Help In Finding The Elusive Ones

Do you know yet about FIND A GRAVE  and A BILLION GRAVES  web sites.  Both of these sites are free to use.  Ancestry has Find A Grave linked into the hint system.  But just because you don't get a hint to a Find A Grave memorial does not mean that one exist.  Do you know you too can add a memorial that just might bring you family history you can't get anywhere else.  That's what happened to me.  I put up a Memorial for my Great Grandmother Katherine Kelly, Dotch, Putman.  A cousin contacted me through Find A Grave.  He was the piece I needed to put together Katherine and her Dad.  As I was able to provide him with missing pieces as well.

Best of luck looking for your Ancestors