FINDING TOMBSTONES ON THE INTERNET
Brenda Kellow
February 27, 2011
Walking through cemeteries in hopes of finding a particular tombstone reveals so much about the deceased. These personal visits are expensive to the traveling researcher. Tombstones are particularly interesting because it may contain the birth date, death date, military connection and possibly a clue to the maiden name of females. The epitaph may give insight to the humor of the deceased or tell us how much the family members loved the departed. However, one must locate the cemetery before canvassing it in person.
Sources to search in person for cemeteries are church burial registers, sexton records, cemetery deed and plot registers, burial permits, grave openings, monument inscriptions and obituaries.
Thanks to modern technology, researchers and historians are making this information available online for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Internet provides digital images of original records, indexes, abstracts, and transcriptions. Free commercial sites include GenWeb, Find-a-Grave, and Virtual Cemetery Project. The latter is a collection of tombstone photos and a fully searchable archive. You can also contribute your tombstone photographs to the site. Doing so online helps others find the information you already have in your file; create an online memorial; protect your photos from loss; save travel time and money by contacting a person who has researched the cemetery of interest and it helps to create an important online resource for genealogists worldwide.
At Names in Stone, you can match a deceased’s record from their site with a matching record from FamilySearch. Using Names in Stone’s newest feature you can view records from the cemetery, community sources and FamilySearch side by side. Doing so allows you to identify your ancestors from the deceased’s record page and automatically search the FamilySearch database for information in the Cemetery Record.
IN MEMORIAM: Sandra Hargreaves Luebking died at 7:45 a.m. on February 17, 2011 with her daughter Laura and her husband Warren at her side. Sandra taught at the Samford Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research in Birmingham since 1979. She is a co-author of The Archives: A Guide to the National Archives Field Branches and The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy. She had numerous accomplishments and received many awards. The genealogical community mourns her loss, her smile and her many talents.
REUNION: The Chapman Family Association (CFA) will hold its 11th annual convention and reunion on June 10-11 at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel, 122 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah. Register onsite; Hotel reservations must be received by May 10, 2011 to get the special rates granted the CFA. The group rate will be available three days before and three days after the convention for those researching at the Family History Library. Further information is available by contacting one of the following: the CFA website at www.chapmanfamilies.org/ and click on “Annual Convention” and then “Salt Lake City, Utah,” or contact Liz Codding at [email protected].
NGS FAMILY HISTORY CONFERENCE: The conference will be held May 11-14 at the Charleston Area Convention Center, 5001 Coliseum Drive, North Charleston, SC 29418. Over 75 nationally recognized speakers provide 180 lectures on many topics such as South Carolina history and surrounding states, migration patterns, religious records, research methodology, problem solving and ethnic groups including Germans, Cherokee, African Americans, Irish and Scots-Irish. An exhibit area with more than one hundred exhibitors will be open and free to the public Wednesday through Saturday and will offer the latest in genealogical software, online research providers, and DNA testing services. The detailed conference registration brochure is at www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conference_info. Space is limited to the social events and workshops, so register early.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].
Sources to search in person for cemeteries are church burial registers, sexton records, cemetery deed and plot registers, burial permits, grave openings, monument inscriptions and obituaries.
Thanks to modern technology, researchers and historians are making this information available online for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Internet provides digital images of original records, indexes, abstracts, and transcriptions. Free commercial sites include GenWeb, Find-a-Grave, and Virtual Cemetery Project. The latter is a collection of tombstone photos and a fully searchable archive. You can also contribute your tombstone photographs to the site. Doing so online helps others find the information you already have in your file; create an online memorial; protect your photos from loss; save travel time and money by contacting a person who has researched the cemetery of interest and it helps to create an important online resource for genealogists worldwide.
At Names in Stone, you can match a deceased’s record from their site with a matching record from FamilySearch. Using Names in Stone’s newest feature you can view records from the cemetery, community sources and FamilySearch side by side. Doing so allows you to identify your ancestors from the deceased’s record page and automatically search the FamilySearch database for information in the Cemetery Record.
IN MEMORIAM: Sandra Hargreaves Luebking died at 7:45 a.m. on February 17, 2011 with her daughter Laura and her husband Warren at her side. Sandra taught at the Samford Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research in Birmingham since 1979. She is a co-author of The Archives: A Guide to the National Archives Field Branches and The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy. She had numerous accomplishments and received many awards. The genealogical community mourns her loss, her smile and her many talents.
REUNION: The Chapman Family Association (CFA) will hold its 11th annual convention and reunion on June 10-11 at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel, 122 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah. Register onsite; Hotel reservations must be received by May 10, 2011 to get the special rates granted the CFA. The group rate will be available three days before and three days after the convention for those researching at the Family History Library. Further information is available by contacting one of the following: the CFA website at www.chapmanfamilies.org/ and click on “Annual Convention” and then “Salt Lake City, Utah,” or contact Liz Codding at [email protected].
NGS FAMILY HISTORY CONFERENCE: The conference will be held May 11-14 at the Charleston Area Convention Center, 5001 Coliseum Drive, North Charleston, SC 29418. Over 75 nationally recognized speakers provide 180 lectures on many topics such as South Carolina history and surrounding states, migration patterns, religious records, research methodology, problem solving and ethnic groups including Germans, Cherokee, African Americans, Irish and Scots-Irish. An exhibit area with more than one hundred exhibitors will be open and free to the public Wednesday through Saturday and will offer the latest in genealogical software, online research providers, and DNA testing services. The detailed conference registration brochure is at www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conference_info. Space is limited to the social events and workshops, so register early.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].