LDS Genealogy

There is something about old cemeteries I can’t resist. I love wandering through them even if I don’t “know” anyone there. Visiting a cemetery where your ancestors are buried, however, is even more special. It’s a wonderful source of information and gives a sense of connection to your family.

Do as much research as you can before visiting. Many cemeteries are now online, or genealogists have “read” the cemetery and posted their findings on the Internet. Reading a cemetery means to record all the information on each stone.

Bring with you everything you know about the people buried there. Frequently, there will be multiple people with the same name, and you want to be sure you’ve found the right person. I like to bring a binder with my family group sheets. I include blank paper and pen for taking notes. I bring a camera to photograph the grave, since doing rubbings can damage the stone.

When I first arrive, I like to stroll through it, getting a sense of who is buried there and how it is laid out. Often families are buried in one area and in older cemeteries, friends are often buried nearby. Once I’ve spotted my family, I try to read the stones. Frequently, very old grave markers of wood or stone are faded, so they are hard to read. If you photograph it, you can take it home, blow it up, and play with it in a photo editor to bring out the words enough to read them.

If you’re looking at graves from the 1800s and earlier, the location of the cemetery may give you clues. Many are located in churches, or were located in churches originally. This can lead you to the ancestor’s religion and help you track down other family members who also worshipped there. If you find them in a church, research the history of the church to find out what religion it was when your ancestor lived there and what they believed. This will give you clues as to their lifestyle and beliefs. Notice also who the minister was, if you can learn this. Sometimes people moved as groups in colonial times, following a minister after the splitting of a  church. Sometimes the church itself will have all this information, as well as more information on the people buried there.

Notice how the stones are placed in relation to others. While visiting Kentucky to track down a family, I was attempting to identify a particular stone. The genealogist assisting me pointed out it was next to a woman I knew to be the wife of the person I was researching. The stone in question had only first and middle initial and a last name. The middle initial differed from all other records. However, we knew the man had been married to this woman at his death. This made it reasonable certain the stone right by hers was his. It is likely other handwritten and transcribled records had the wrong middle initial, although stones often have the wrong information as well. This has set me on another path of research, to figure out the middle name. In another case, the placement of a small child by a woman’s grave lends credibility to the suspicion that the child belonged to that woman.

A grave near my home contains my ancestors and also the graves of some close family friends, as identified in histories of the family. I’ve taken note of these stones as well, to fill out the story.

Notice also who is missing. In the cemetery near my home, an important ancestor is missing. It may be the stone has disappeared, but it might also be that the family member died elsewhere. This should be considered when gathering information. If you don’t have a death location and the person is not buried with the family, consider the possiblity that she moved away and died in her new home. This will require you to search for clues as to where she might have gone.

Before you leave, take some time to sit or stand quietly. Your ancestors, perhaps as far back as the sixteen hundreds, stood on this land in times of sorrow. They were there, standing where you are standing now. I always feel a connection when I stand there, picturing them and soaking in the spirit of a place that signaled a transition for them.