Cemetery Records: Difference between revisions

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Guide to locating cemetery records for ancestry, family history, and genealogy research.
Guide to locating cemetery records for ancestry, family history, and genealogy research.


__TOC__
==Online Resources==
==What are cemetery records?==
'''International Collections'''<br>
*[http://www.findagrave.com Find a Grave]
*[http://www.interment.net Interment.net]
*[http://www.billiongraves.com BillionGraves]
*[http://www.waymarking.com/cat/details.aspx?f=1&guid=205c956b-25b3-47fe-9fb1-2c758098e5cb&st=2 Waymarking.com Worldwide Cemeteries]
 
==About the Records==
Cemeteries are regarded as the location where people are buried after they die. They are often known by various terms such as graveyards, burying grounds, burial grounds, burial plots, 'churchyards', and several other terms. A cemetery may be operated by a municipality, or it may be operated by a church or religion, a funeral home or other private company, or a fraternal order.
Cemeteries are regarded as the location where people are buried after they die. They are often known by various terms such as graveyards, burying grounds, burial grounds, burial plots, 'churchyards', and several other terms. A cemetery may be operated by a municipality, or it may be operated by a church or religion, a funeral home or other private company, or a fraternal order.


'''Headstone inscriptions''' are information recorded on headstones (also known as tombstones or gravestones). Sometimes, multiple family members are buried in the same vault and the inscription will give information on all that are buried there. Often, this information has been transcribed, indexed, and published and is found '''online and in manuscripts and books in libraries and archives.'''
===Record Types and Content===
====Headstone Inscriptions====
Information recorded on headstones (also known as tombstones or gravestones) may include multiple family members are buried in the same vault and the inscription will give information on all that are buried there. Often, this information has been transcribed, indexed, and published and is found online and in manuscripts and books in libraries and archives.
<br>
<br>
====Published Headstone Inscriptions====
Published transcriptions of cemeteries, when available, may include additional information. They often are more complete because tombstones can be lost over time or difficult to read because of weathering and aging of headstones.


'''Written records''' are information recorded by cemetery officials or caretakers, included in parish and cemetery records recorded by the civil authority. Written records include:
====Written Records====
are information recorded by cemetery officials or caretakers, included in parish and cemetery records recorded by the civil authority. Written records include:
*Cemetery sextons' records
*Cemetery sextons' records
*Municipal cemetery records
*Municipal cemetery records
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*Maps
*Maps


==What can you find in cemetery records?==


'''Cemetery records may provide information such as: '''
'''Cemetery records may provide information such as: '''
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*membership in an organization.
*membership in an organization.


==How do you find cemetery records?==
==Records by Location==
{|
Search by country:
|-
*[[:Category:Cemeteries]]
|
[[File:Tip Post it Pin.png|100px]]
|<span style="color:DarkViolet"> ''' Many cemetery records are online. You should consult the Wiki article on cemetery records for each country to understand how to find and search its cemetery records</span>
|}
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===Major Cemetery Record Collections===
*[http://www.findagrave.com Find a Grave]
*[http://www.interment.net Interment.net]
*[http://www.billiongraves.com BillionGraves]
*[http://politicalgraveyard.com/ The Political Graveyard]
*[http://www.namesinstone.com Names in Stone]
*[http://www.waymarking.com/cat/details.aspx?f=1&guid=205c956b-25b3-47fe-9fb1-2c758098e5cb&st=2 Waymarking.com Worldwide Cemeteries]
*[http://www.ancestry.com Ancestry]
*[http://www.rootsweb.com Rootsweb]
[[Category:Cemeteries]]
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===Sidebar Links to Wiki Articles for Cemeteries===
{|
|-
|style="border:solid black 2px; padding:10px; vertical-align:top"|
<center> <span style="color:DarkViolet">'''See the links to cemetery records in the right sidebar in this typical Wiki main page.'''</span><center>
[[File:Cemetery sidebar.png|1000px]]
|}
<br>
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===U.S. County Cemetery Links Charts===
{|
|-
|style="border:solid black 2px; vertical-align:top; padding:10px"|
<center> <span style="color:DarkViolet">'''Each county in the United States has a Wiki article which can be reached from a county list found on the state main page. '''</span><center>
[[File:County list.png|1000px]]
|-
|style="border:solid black 2px; vertical-align:top; padding:10px"|
<center> <span style="color:DarkViolet">'''Each county article has a "Cemeteries" chart with links to collections of transcribed cemetery records. '''
[[File:County cemetery chart.png|1000px]]
|}
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===Online Genealogical Records Pages===
[[Category:Cemeteries]]
On the main page for each U.S. State page and country page, a blue button leads to a listing of '''online record collections.'''
 
{|
|-
|
|style="border:solid black 2px; vertical-align:top; padding:10px"|
<center> <span style="color:DarkViolet">'''Look for the blue button on each state and country '''<br>'''main page to link to the Online Genealogy Records page.'''</span><center>
[[File:OGS.png|400px]]
|style="width:50px"|
|style="border:solid black 2px; vertical-align:top; padding:10px"|
<center> <span style="color:DarkViolet">'''A typical Online Genealogy Records page. '''
[[File:Cem OGR.png|700px]]|700px]]
|}
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*'''Also, all the available Online Genealogy Records pages are linked at''' [[Online Genealogy Records by Location|'''Online Genealogy Records by Location.''']]
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===FamilySearch Catalog===
==Research Strategies==
*Cemetery Records collected by FamilySearch, usually digitized and online, are listed in the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog '''FamilySearch catalog'''.] Enter the name of the country in the "Place Field" and click "Search". A list of record categories will be provided. Select "Cemeteries".
{|
|-
|
|style="border:solid black 2px; vertical-align:top; padding:10px"|
<center> <span style="color:DarkViolet">
[[File:Cat cem.png|700px]]
|}


===Cemeteries Not Transcribed or Published===
===How to Find the Cemetery===
Cemeteries are often located next to a church. If you know where your ancestor attended church check that place first. If your ancestor died in another part of the country he or she may have been brought to the home parish for burial. Your ancestor may have been buried in a church or a civil (local authority) cemetery - usually near the place where he or she lived or died. You can find clues to burial places in church records, newspaper announcements, or family histories. There are a number of ways to find cemeteries:
*Not all cemetery tombstones have been transcribed and published online or in book form.
*Look in phone books or other directories for a location. Notice in the illustration in the above section that the FamilySearch collection has a category '''Cemetery - Directories''',
*Some cemeteries are located next to a church. If the church name is known, search there first.
*Look in atlases, gazetteers, or other maps to see if cemeteries are shown.  
*Individuals may die in another part of the country. but brought back to their home parish for burial.  
*Search for them on Google, which has many listed, but not all. Google Maps has a large number shown on them in English-speaking areas, coverage is incomplete in most other languages.
*Burial places may be mentioned in church records, newspaper announcements, or family histories.
*Some cemeteries will maintain a website which will often list operating hours, and some will post burial lists online for those sites. Type the cemetery name in a search engine to see if the cemetery you want to find has a website.
*Search directories for possible cemeteries.  
*Notice in the illustration in the above section that the FamilySearch collection has a category '''Cemetery - Directories''',
*Search in atlases, gazetteers, or other maps listing cemeteries.  
*Google Maps has a large number of English-speaking areas, coverage is incomplete in most other languages.
*Many cemeteries maintain a website which will often list operating hours, and some will post burial lists online for those sites.

Latest revision as of 15:01, 31 May 2024

Guide to locating cemetery records for ancestry, family history, and genealogy research.

Online Resources[edit | edit source]

International Collections

About the Records[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries are regarded as the location where people are buried after they die. They are often known by various terms such as graveyards, burying grounds, burial grounds, burial plots, 'churchyards', and several other terms. A cemetery may be operated by a municipality, or it may be operated by a church or religion, a funeral home or other private company, or a fraternal order.

Record Types and Content[edit | edit source]

Headstone Inscriptions[edit | edit source]

Information recorded on headstones (also known as tombstones or gravestones) may include multiple family members are buried in the same vault and the inscription will give information on all that are buried there. Often, this information has been transcribed, indexed, and published and is found online and in manuscripts and books in libraries and archives.

Published Headstone Inscriptions[edit | edit source]

Published transcriptions of cemeteries, when available, may include additional information. They often are more complete because tombstones can be lost over time or difficult to read because of weathering and aging of headstones.

Written Records[edit | edit source]

are information recorded by cemetery officials or caretakers, included in parish and cemetery records recorded by the civil authority. Written records include:

  • Cemetery sextons' records
  • Municipal cemetery records
  • Church yard records
  • Grave books
  • Plot books
  • Maps


Cemetery records may provide information such as:

  • the deceased’s name
  • date and place of birth and death
  • age of the deceased at death
  • place of origin
  • names of other persons related to the deceased
  • maiden surname
  • sometimes marriage information.
  • clues about military service, religion, occupation
  • place of residence at time of death
  • membership in an organization.

Records by Location[edit | edit source]

Search by country:

Research Strategies[edit | edit source]

How to Find the Cemetery[edit | edit source]

  • Not all cemetery tombstones have been transcribed and published online or in book form.
  • Some cemeteries are located next to a church. If the church name is known, search there first.
  • Individuals may die in another part of the country. but brought back to their home parish for burial.
  • Burial places may be mentioned in church records, newspaper announcements, or family histories.
  • Search directories for possible cemeteries.
  • Search in atlases, gazetteers, or other maps listing cemeteries.
  • Google Maps has a large number of English-speaking areas, coverage is incomplete in most other languages.
  • Many cemeteries maintain a website which will often list operating hours, and some will post burial lists online for those sites.
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