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All Things Cemetery

Intro

A. Records you might find at the cemetery

  • Burial Records (Book/Ledger)

  • Sexton Records Index Cards or Automated

  • Index Listings

  • Cremation Records

  • Historical Information (of the cemetery and on some of the more prominent occupants)

  • Financial Records

 

Burial Records – What kind of information might I find in this record?

  • Name, age, sex, color, interment date, location of burial

  • Remarks, such as:

    • Cause of death (especially for a certain type of disease such as small pox, cholera, yellow fever, typhoid, tuberculosis), next of kin, if from another town or state, if relocated from another lot, or cemetery, or sent to another state or cemetery.

 

Sexton Records – So, where is the deceased buried and what might I expect to find?

  • Name of occupant; interment date; burial Location by block, plot, section; if section is shared with someone else, and if a marker exists.

 

Index Cards or Automated Index Listings

  • Name, sex, age, color, interment date, mortuary, and burial location. With luck, you might also find: birth date, death date, next of kin, and remarks (usually a note as to a disease).

 

Note: Compare the spelling of the occupant’s name, you might find them spelled differently on each record you view. I.E. Stephen, Steven, Steve or Rodrigues, Rodriques, Rodriquez. And, sometimes the first and middle names have traded places. :-)

 

Cremation Records (if a crematory is or was ever on site – so ask)

  • Name, age, sex, color, cremation date, cremation number, if the ashes were buried on site or handed over to the requesting relative or shipped off to another town, state, or country.

 

Historical Information

  • Some of the occupants were prominent in their community and therefore history gathered. Some of the history comes in the forms of booklets and pamphlets on site at the cemetery, such as the various self-guided walking tour booklets.

  • Some come in the way of pamphlets, provided by either cemetery volunteers, or historical societies in the area.

  • Cemetery Tours – many are offered at various times of the year or group request. These tours provide history on the cemetery as well as the prominent (and sometimes the more colorful) occupants of the cemetery.

 

Financial Records – really?

  • Name, age, mortuary, cost, who requested the burial or cremation, how related, if the deceased from out of town, charity (as in free burial), etc. One never knows what they might find in these records. Financial records are usually at the main office, but it never hurts to ask if the records are on site.

 

Note: Visit your local city, county, or state library. You may find records that have been copied, digitized, and/or donated. Ask your librarian what they have on hand. Their heads are filled with the various informational records available. Some even have a resident worker proficient in genealogy and genealogical information available not only within the library, but through Historical and Genealogical Societies within the area. Also, more and more libraries have websites you can visit; information may be readily posted or sited as being available upon your visitation. Note: The Denver Central Library has a few Mortuary Burial Records; Newspapers with Obituaries, Funeral Announcements, and the occasional news article.

 

B.

If I know the state, but not the cemetery, how do I locate where my relative is buried?

  • Request a Death Certificate – Most Death Certificates will list the name of the burial location.

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C.

Other information that might assist me in my search of an ancestor or cemetery record

  • Web Search – Using a web browser such as Google, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo

    • Type in the name of a city, county, or state – look for that city’s, county’s, or state’s government website, as some are starting to post their Archival Index Listings (for births, marriages, deaths); Historical Listings; and yes, Genealogical Listings and Libraries.

  • Web Search – Using a web browser such as Google, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo

    •  Type in the name of the cemetery; such as: Center Cemetery, Hartford County (Some of the cemeteries will have posted an index list of their occupants, how related, birth to death dates, history of their cemetery, prominent occupants, pictures of unique headstone, genealogical societies and libraries in the area that can assist someone in their search, and more)

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