Stories in Stone – Cemetery Research

Genealogists LOVE cemeteries but we don’t always know the history behind them. When we know the history, types, and traditions of cemeteries we can do better research that helps us understand our ancestor’s final resting place. In this presentation we will take a look at the history of US cemeteries, what you would expect to find depending on time and place, and where you can find records beyond the usual places.

It's not over 'til the fat lady sings? Nope. It's not over until you find where the big girl was buried. This presentation offers examples of records that can lead genealogists to an ancestor's elusive final resting place.

They stand there behind those gates: marble and granite memorials to those who went before. The stones in those cemeteries and the stories they tell for our families are of crucial importance to genealogists. How can we best get access to the land where they stand, and photograph them to capture the stories they tell?

The presentation will cover Polish cemetery online databases - portals and websites that include information about burials from all over Poland. Kinga will show you how to use these and explain what is the most common information that you may find there.

Genealogists use gravestone information to document death information, but oftentimes, a burial marker provides more than biographical information. Gravestones, like any record, should be analyzed but to do so requires one to think beyond genealogical research. In this presentation, we will explore types of cemeteries, the anatomy of a marker, and the “hidden” information the marker provides.

Segregation extended into death for African Americans, especially for those in the Southern United States. What led to the development of separate funeral homes and burial grounds? This presentation looks at burial practices for African-Americans from the 16th to the 20th century.

If headstones could talk, they would have a lot of stories to tell. But they can't, so BillionGraves is the next best thing. BillionGraves is the world's largest GPS-linked cemetery data resource. As you take photos with the BillionGraves app on your phone, each gravestone is automatically marked with a GPS location. The data is then transcribed by volunteers, plotted on cemetery maps, and preserved on BillionGraves, FamilySearch, and MyHeritage websites for millions of families around the globe for generations to come.

Learn how to interpret a gravestone for hints that will lead you to new record sources.

Churchyards are one of the nation’s priceless and unique heritages – a light-hearted review of our forebears’ commemorations, and how to locate and explore these storehouses of history.