The Family Tree Cemetery Field Guide: How to Find, Record &
Preserve Your Ancestors’ Graves by Joy
Neighbors, Family Tree Books, 2017, 239 p.
As someone who enjoys strolling through historic
graveyards and reading gravestone inscriptions, I’ve never understood the
squeamishness of some when it comes to cemeteries. Yes, graveyards are
“repositories for the dead,” as author Joy Neighbors describes them, but more
importantly they are “a place to memorialize, visit and remember” our
ancestors. Genealogists understand this, and can appreciate such repositories
for their historical and cultural importance. This definitive guide was written
for “tombstone tourists” searching for departed family members in these resting
places, in an attempt to better understand their ancestors’ lives.
The author has divided this
comprehensive guidebook into four parts. The first section, “Planning Your Trip
to the Cemetery,” takes a look at the history and cultural significance of
cemeteries, various types of cemeteries, burial customs and practices.
Neighbors also examines the various types of records that are generated around
a burial, including permits, deeds, plot records, maps, sexton’s records and
cemetery ledgers. This section concludes with an in-depth look at online tools
such as BillionGraves and Find-a-Grave, that can help genealogists find the
location of a gravesite before even stepping onto the cemetery grounds. Missing,
unfortunately, are non-US-based cemetery transcription and photo projects such
as CanadianHeadstones.com and GravestonePhotos.com. A checklist of useful items
to take on a cemetery trip is also included.
The second section, “Researching on
Hallowed Ground,” provides research strategies for having a successful cemetery
outing and gives instructions on how to safely enhance the readability of
hard-to-read stones. The author also
discusses how to interpret inscriptions, read old script and how to take
digital photographs that capture even the most weathered inscriptions. A
particularly helpful chapter, “Headstone Iconography Guide,” provides a listing
of symbols and abbreviations that sometimes appear on gravestones along with
their meanings.
“Part 3: Making Sense of Your
Research,” concerns itself with organizing, analyzing and sharing the
information obtained at the cemetery and records office. Neighbors also provides suggestions for
building upon the information found at the cemetery. She gives examples,
through case studies, to show how cemetery records can be built upon to create
a more complete life history of your ancestor. The importance of sharing the
findings is also emphasized. A description of several tombstone transcription
projects and websites are included that provide an opportunity for uploading
cemetery data for the benefit of other researchers.
“Digging Deeper,” the fourth and
final section of the guide deals with other records, not found at the cemetery,
but that pertain to records surrounding death, such as death certificates,
obituaries, probate records, funeral home records, coroner’s reports, and other
genealogy records. This
helpful guide also discusses the need for cemetery restoration and preservation
projects to ensure that these very important places remain for future
generations.
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