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B: VITAL RECORDS
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6: Cemetery |
C: CENSUS
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D: IMMIGRATION
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E: MILITARY
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Goal B6: Explore cemetery records and tombstones.
Cemeteries and tombstones are useful for gathering information about ancestors and for helping you feel a closeness to their heritage.
ChoicesVault
A Use cemetery records to provide clues about ancestors.
Class Outlines: Basic | Intermediate
Summary
- Cemetery records often have birth, marriage, death, and additional information.
- Introduction: Get an introduction to cemetery research.
AAC—Why Look at Cemeteries—3:08
AF—Genealogy Basics: Cemetery Research Advice for Beginners - Learn more about exploring cemetery records.
AAC—Cemetery Records—7:51
AC—Cemetery Records - Learn how to find the cemeteries for your FamilySearch ancestors .
FS—New Cemetery Web Tools to Try - Here's a helpful research guide for cemetery records, from Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness.
Research Guide – U.S. Cemetery Records - Locations: Learn how to locate cemeteries for ancestor records.
AAC—Finding Where Your Ancestor Is Buried—8:03
BYU—Using Online Maps to Locate Cemeteries—49:22 - 2016
- Learn about unknown or alternate locations for burial information.
AF—Tricks for Finding the Unknown Burial Location of an Ancestor - 2017
AF—Can't Find the Grave? Alternative Locations for Burial Places for Your Ancestors - 2015 - Learn how to find additional ancestors from cemetery records.
AF—Using cemetery records to uncover unknown ancestors—4:37 - 2015
- Ancestry: Use the Ancestry message board to inquire about U.S. cemetery records.
- By State: Explore
U.S. cemetery records by state on the AccessGenealogy.com site (scroll down, left side).
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for cemetery records. Then use the learnings for searches for a U.S. ancestor.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for two or more ancestors.
Record Search Practice |
Christina McQuarrie was buried in the western U.S. Use the "FS: United States Cemetery Abstracts" QUIKLink below to answer these questions:
- How old was Christina MacQuarrie when she died?
- When did she die?
- Where did she die?
- Click the QUIKLink mentioned above.
- In the search screen, enter "Christina" as the first name and "MacQuarrie" as the last name.
- In the search results screen, click the document icon for Christina MacQuarrie.
- Read the information in the center column.
- Christina was eleven years old when she died.
- She died on 2 Dec 1900.
- The place of death is Rock Springs, Sweetwater, Wyoming.
(Contributed by Brent Bunker )
QUIKLinks
B Learn about tombstones and how they can be used in research.
Summary
- Tombstones can be used to identify birth and death dates and sometimes even spouses.
- Nearby graves with the same surname can suggest a family relationship.
- Introduction: Learn how to evaluate the information you find on tombstones.
AAC—Evaluating Tombstones—8:39 - Go into more detail on finding and using information from ancestors' tombstones.
FS—Listening to Your Ancestor's Tombstone, Part 1—26:03
FS—Listening to Your Ancestor's Tombstone, Part 2—25:45 - 2011 - Tips: Here are some tips for working with tombstones.
AC—Clues from the Graveyard—4:53 - 2013
- Learn how you can create a family tree fom a single gravestone.
FHF—Build a Family Tree Quickly From One Record - A Gravestone—13:48 - 2018
- Symbols and Carvings: Here is a collection of cemetery symbols and icons.
TH: Photo Gallery of Cemetery Symbols and Icons - 2019 - Learn how to read symbols and carvings on gravestones.
AAC—Tombstone Symbols—8:35
Understanding Gravestone Symbols—54:39 - 2020
- Watch this video for secrets that tombstones may provide.
GTV: Tombstones Hidden Secrets (2:21) - 2018
Exercises
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for tombstone records. Then use the learnings for searches for a U.S. ancestor.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for two or more ancestors.
C Explore FindAGrave.com and BillionGraves.com for ancestor death information.
In addition to providing information about direct ancestors, these records often provide clues about parents, spouses, and siblings of ancestors.
- Watch these videos for a good overview of how to use the Find A Grave website.
AAC—Find A Grave—2:45
AC—Find A Grave.com 101—25:00 - 2014
- Watch these tutorials to learn how to do research with the BillionGraves.com site.
- Explore records on the Find A Grave.com site.
- Explore records on the BillionGraves.com site.
D Visit cemeteries and take photos.
- Watch this video to learn about the value of in-person visits to cemeteries.
AC: Why Visiting a Cemetery Is a Good Idea (29:43) - 2014 - Here are some tips for cemetery visits.
FHD: Planning a Cemetery Visit? Dos and Don'ts to Read Before You Go - 2018 - Learn tips for photographing gravestones in this article.
AJC—5 Types of Photos to Take at a Cemetery - 2016
TH: Tips for Taking Great Cemetery Pictures - 2019 - Here are some additional tips for taking cemetery photos.
GC—Tips for Photographing Gravestones
AR: 5 Tips on Getting Great Cemetery Photos - 2012