from my mail box
===================================================================
"NO STONE TO LEAVE UNTURNED," by Michael John Neill
===================================================================
Finding the burial place of an ancestor can be one of the great hunts
of genealogy. It can also be one of the most frustrating parts of the
research process. This week we look at some ways to determine where
your ancestor is buried and the additional records that may be
available. First, we will look at some records that may indicate the
ancestor's burial place.
DEATH CERTIFICATE
For relatively recent burials, the death certificate should provide
the relative's final resting place. Bear in mind that the names of
some cemeteries may have changed over the years. Attempts to locate
the death certificate should be at the county or state level.
Note not in UK because the certificate showing the cause of death is issued before burial - the burial is recorded in the parish register if a church yard or the cemetery's own archive if a cemetery or crematorium. Private burials, for example in gardens or on a farm or the spreading of ashes may be only known to the family
OBITUARY
Your ancestor's obituary or death notice may provide information on
her place of burial. Even the name of the church or the officiating
minister may be a clue as to where the internment took place.
BURIAL PERMITS
In some areas, records of burial permits were kept. These records may
be helpful if you are reasonably certain where your ancestor died but
you don't know the place of the burial. These records (if kept) are
typically created at the county or city level.
CHURCH RECORDS
Is your ancestor buried next to his church? If so, the church may
have additional records on your ancestor, particularly a death or a
burial record. If you know your ancestor's denomination, were there
particular cemeteries in the area that catered to members of that
faith? If you are not certain of your ancestor's religious
persuasion, are there clues in her background that might make
memberships in some denomination more likely than others? French-
Canadians tend to be Catholic, Germans tend to be Lutheran or
Catholic, Swedes tend to be Lutheran, Irish are typically not
Lutheran, and so on. These are tendencies, not hard and fast rules---
there are always exceptions and a lone staunch Lutheran on the
frontier may easily attend the local Baptist, Methodist, or other
church.
A PROXIMITY SEARCH
Look for your ancestor in cemeteries near where he is last known to
have lived. Remember if your ancestor "evaporated" that he might have
died where he last is known to have lived, or he might have moved
several states away to live with one of his children and died there.
Consequently your search for an ancestor's stone should include all
those areas where his children lived.
BATTLEFIELD BURIAL
If your ancestor was in the military service and died on the
battlefield, he may be buried in a military cemetery or in an
unmarked grave. This may be noted in his military service record.
NO BURIAL
Was your ancestor not even buried? I've got one whose body was turned
over to the Illinois Demonstrator's Association in the early 1900s.
This was noted on his death certificate. He has no known final
resting place.
SOME FINDING AIDS
The inscriptions of the stones of some cemeteries have already been
copied and may have been published. When using any type of
transcribed tombstone information, try to determine if the
information you are viewing is an actual transcription of the stone
or if it is a listing of burials in the cemetery. There is a
difference. Keep in mind that some stones might have been difficult,
if not impossible, to read, and that other stones might have been
buried themselves and overlooked when the transcription was
completed. Once you know your ancestor is in a certain cemetery, it
still may be a good idea to view the stone yourself or see if you can
get a picture.
PUBLISHED TRANSCRIPTIONS
Published transcriptions can be relatively easy to locate even if
they were published in a small quantity. Card catalogs of the Library
of Congress (http://www.loc.gov ), the Family History Library
(http://www.familysearch.org ), the Allen County (Indiana) Public
Library (http://acpl.lib.in.us ), and other libraries (including
those in your region of interest) may contain references to published
transcriptions for the area under study. Keyword searches in these
card catalogs for "yourcounty county cemetery" or "yourcounty county
tombstone" should pull up some desired results. Searches of the
Family History Library Catalog should be for the specific county and
state of interest.
ONLINE TRANSCRIPTIONS
Online cemetery transcriptions can frequently be obtained via the
County USGenWeb site (http://www.usgenweb.org ) or other
geographically based genealogy pages. Searches for "cemeteryname city
state" at Google (http://www.google.com ) may also bring up
additional references.
UNPUBLISHED TRANSCRIPTIONS
Not all transcriptions have been published; many exist only in
manuscript format. Locating these unpublished transcriptions requires
a little more work, but may be well worth the effort. The county
historical or genealogical society is the place to start this search,
but regional and state archives, state historical societies, and
public and private libraries within the region may also house these
materials.
SEXTON'S RECORDS
Some cemeteries keep excellent records. Others do not. Generally
speaking, one is less likely to find records for small, rural
cemeteries. Larger, more urban cemeteries may still not have extant
records for the earlier burials and lot owners. Those with family
members buried in larger cemeteries currently accepting new
interments might find that locating some information is as easy as
making a phone call to the cemetery.
Those trying to locate records for a rural cemetery may have more
difficulty. In some areas, cemeteries that were once maintained by a
church or a private group of individuals may now be under township or
other government maintenance, or no maintenance at all. Local
historical or genealogical societies may also be able to provide
information or at least give the name of a contact person for the
cemetery. Keep in mind that for some cemeteries, records of burials
and lot owners were never kept.
SPECIALIZED FINDING AIDS
There are a few specialized finding aids for burial information.
"Card Records of Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War
Veterans, ca. 1879-ca. 1903" (National Archives and Records
Administration microfilm publication number M1845) contains
information on the burial location of thousands of veterans. While
99% of these burials are from the Civil War, occasionally the veteran
of another war slips in (well, not literally). There is a card for
James Kile, a War of 1812 veteran, buried in Keithsburg, Illinois, in
1852. In some states, lists of military burials were published, some
have been reprinted, and usually local historical or genealogical
societies have copies or are aware of their existence. Statewide
finding aids (if available) are also included in the appropriate
state research guide from the Family History Library
(http://www.familysearch.org ).
Searches of various library card catalogs using the following subject
headings resulted in numerous matches of this kind of material:
United States History Civil War, 1861-1865 Registers of dead
United States History War of 1898 Registers of dead
Readers are encouraged to alter the search terms for other wars and
periods.
Performing these subject searches at online library catalogs like the
Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov ) or the Allen County Public
Library (http://www.acpl.lib.in.us ) resulted in several references.
Those wishing to locate similar references in the Family History
Library Catalog should locate the
particular locality and then choose "Cemeteries" under that
geographic location. This should be done at least twice, once for the
state and once for the specific county.
NO STONE
Lastly, your ancestor might not have a tombstone or may never have
had a stone at all. This makes it rather difficult to find one! In
some cases, you may never find your ancestor's final resting place.
I'm still looking for Augusta Newman who died in White County,
Indiana, in 1864 and for Peter Bieger who died in Warsaw, Illinois,
in 1855! I'm afraid that I'm going to be looking for quite some time,
too.
___________________________________________________________________
Michael John Neill is the Course I Coordinator at the Genealogical
Institute of Mid America (GIMA) held annually in Springfield,
Illinois, Google Search: "Genealogical Institute of Mid America"
and is also on the faculty of Carl Sandburg College in
Galesburg, Illinois.
Google Search: "Carl Sandburg College "
Michael is the Web columnist for the FGS FORUM
and is on the editorial board of the "Illinois State Genealogical
Society Quarterly." He conducts seminars and lectures on a wide
variety of genealogical and computer topics and contributes to
several genealogical publications, including "Ancestry" Magazine and
"Genealogical Computing." You can contact him via e-mail at
mailto:mjnrootdig@myfamily.com or visit his website at
http://www.rootdig.com , but he regrets that he is unable to assist
with personal research.
Copyright 2004, MyFamily.com.
=============================================
REPRINT POLICY:
We encourage the circulation of the "Ancestry Daily News" via non-
profit newsletters and lists providing that you credit the author,
include any copyright information (Copyright 1998-2004, MyFamily.com,
Inc. and its subsidiaries.), and cite the "Ancestry Daily News"
as the source, so that others
can learn about our free newsletter as well.
``````````````````````````````````````````````
I was hesitant about subscribing to a daily newsletter but as a subscriber to ancestry.co.uk
to which new data is added every working day I find this invaluablke.
I reposted the above article because it broadens the european genealogist's knowledge of US American procedures and institutions
note I googled several of the places previously unknown to me
You should google any phrase of up to 10 words to check stuff out.
===================================================================
"NO STONE TO LEAVE UNTURNED," by Michael John Neill
===================================================================
Finding the burial place of an ancestor can be one of the great hunts
of genealogy. It can also be one of the most frustrating parts of the
research process. This week we look at some ways to determine where
your ancestor is buried and the additional records that may be
available. First, we will look at some records that may indicate the
ancestor's burial place.
DEATH CERTIFICATE
For relatively recent burials, the death certificate should provide
the relative's final resting place. Bear in mind that the names of
some cemeteries may have changed over the years. Attempts to locate
the death certificate should be at the county or state level.
Note not in UK because the certificate showing the cause of death is issued before burial - the burial is recorded in the parish register if a church yard or the cemetery's own archive if a cemetery or crematorium. Private burials, for example in gardens or on a farm or the spreading of ashes may be only known to the family
OBITUARY
Your ancestor's obituary or death notice may provide information on
her place of burial. Even the name of the church or the officiating
minister may be a clue as to where the internment took place.
BURIAL PERMITS
In some areas, records of burial permits were kept. These records may
be helpful if you are reasonably certain where your ancestor died but
you don't know the place of the burial. These records (if kept) are
typically created at the county or city level.
CHURCH RECORDS
Is your ancestor buried next to his church? If so, the church may
have additional records on your ancestor, particularly a death or a
burial record. If you know your ancestor's denomination, were there
particular cemeteries in the area that catered to members of that
faith? If you are not certain of your ancestor's religious
persuasion, are there clues in her background that might make
memberships in some denomination more likely than others? French-
Canadians tend to be Catholic, Germans tend to be Lutheran or
Catholic, Swedes tend to be Lutheran, Irish are typically not
Lutheran, and so on. These are tendencies, not hard and fast rules---
there are always exceptions and a lone staunch Lutheran on the
frontier may easily attend the local Baptist, Methodist, or other
church.
A PROXIMITY SEARCH
Look for your ancestor in cemeteries near where he is last known to
have lived. Remember if your ancestor "evaporated" that he might have
died where he last is known to have lived, or he might have moved
several states away to live with one of his children and died there.
Consequently your search for an ancestor's stone should include all
those areas where his children lived.
BATTLEFIELD BURIAL
If your ancestor was in the military service and died on the
battlefield, he may be buried in a military cemetery or in an
unmarked grave. This may be noted in his military service record.
NO BURIAL
Was your ancestor not even buried? I've got one whose body was turned
over to the Illinois Demonstrator's Association in the early 1900s.
This was noted on his death certificate. He has no known final
resting place.
SOME FINDING AIDS
The inscriptions of the stones of some cemeteries have already been
copied and may have been published. When using any type of
transcribed tombstone information, try to determine if the
information you are viewing is an actual transcription of the stone
or if it is a listing of burials in the cemetery. There is a
difference. Keep in mind that some stones might have been difficult,
if not impossible, to read, and that other stones might have been
buried themselves and overlooked when the transcription was
completed. Once you know your ancestor is in a certain cemetery, it
still may be a good idea to view the stone yourself or see if you can
get a picture.
PUBLISHED TRANSCRIPTIONS
Published transcriptions can be relatively easy to locate even if
they were published in a small quantity. Card catalogs of the Library
of Congress (http://www.loc.gov ), the Family History Library
(http://www.familysearch.org ), the Allen County (Indiana) Public
Library (http://acpl.lib.in.us ), and other libraries (including
those in your region of interest) may contain references to published
transcriptions for the area under study. Keyword searches in these
card catalogs for "yourcounty county cemetery" or "yourcounty county
tombstone" should pull up some desired results. Searches of the
Family History Library Catalog should be for the specific county and
state of interest.
ONLINE TRANSCRIPTIONS
Online cemetery transcriptions can frequently be obtained via the
County USGenWeb site (http://www.usgenweb.org ) or other
geographically based genealogy pages. Searches for "cemeteryname city
state" at Google (http://www.google.com ) may also bring up
additional references.
UNPUBLISHED TRANSCRIPTIONS
Not all transcriptions have been published; many exist only in
manuscript format. Locating these unpublished transcriptions requires
a little more work, but may be well worth the effort. The county
historical or genealogical society is the place to start this search,
but regional and state archives, state historical societies, and
public and private libraries within the region may also house these
materials.
SEXTON'S RECORDS
Some cemeteries keep excellent records. Others do not. Generally
speaking, one is less likely to find records for small, rural
cemeteries. Larger, more urban cemeteries may still not have extant
records for the earlier burials and lot owners. Those with family
members buried in larger cemeteries currently accepting new
interments might find that locating some information is as easy as
making a phone call to the cemetery.
Those trying to locate records for a rural cemetery may have more
difficulty. In some areas, cemeteries that were once maintained by a
church or a private group of individuals may now be under township or
other government maintenance, or no maintenance at all. Local
historical or genealogical societies may also be able to provide
information or at least give the name of a contact person for the
cemetery. Keep in mind that for some cemeteries, records of burials
and lot owners were never kept.
SPECIALIZED FINDING AIDS
There are a few specialized finding aids for burial information.
"Card Records of Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War
Veterans, ca. 1879-ca. 1903" (National Archives and Records
Administration microfilm publication number M1845) contains
information on the burial location of thousands of veterans. While
99% of these burials are from the Civil War, occasionally the veteran
of another war slips in (well, not literally). There is a card for
James Kile, a War of 1812 veteran, buried in Keithsburg, Illinois, in
1852. In some states, lists of military burials were published, some
have been reprinted, and usually local historical or genealogical
societies have copies or are aware of their existence. Statewide
finding aids (if available) are also included in the appropriate
state research guide from the Family History Library
(http://www.familysearch.org ).
Searches of various library card catalogs using the following subject
headings resulted in numerous matches of this kind of material:
United States History Civil War, 1861-1865 Registers of dead
United States History War of 1898 Registers of dead
Readers are encouraged to alter the search terms for other wars and
periods.
Performing these subject searches at online library catalogs like the
Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov ) or the Allen County Public
Library (http://www.acpl.lib.in.us ) resulted in several references.
Those wishing to locate similar references in the Family History
Library Catalog should locate the
particular locality and then choose "Cemeteries" under that
geographic location. This should be done at least twice, once for the
state and once for the specific county.
NO STONE
Lastly, your ancestor might not have a tombstone or may never have
had a stone at all. This makes it rather difficult to find one! In
some cases, you may never find your ancestor's final resting place.
I'm still looking for Augusta Newman who died in White County,
Indiana, in 1864 and for Peter Bieger who died in Warsaw, Illinois,
in 1855! I'm afraid that I'm going to be looking for quite some time,
too.
___________________________________________________________________
Michael John Neill is the Course I Coordinator at the Genealogical
Institute of Mid America (GIMA) held annually in Springfield,
Illinois, Google Search: "Genealogical Institute of Mid America"
and is also on the faculty of Carl Sandburg College in
Galesburg, Illinois.
Google Search: "Carl Sandburg College "
Michael is the Web columnist for the FGS FORUM
and is on the editorial board of the "Illinois State Genealogical
Society Quarterly." He conducts seminars and lectures on a wide
variety of genealogical and computer topics and contributes to
several genealogical publications, including "Ancestry" Magazine and
"Genealogical Computing." You can contact him via e-mail at
mailto:mjnrootdig@myfamily.com or visit his website at
http://www.rootdig.com , but he regrets that he is unable to assist
with personal research.
Copyright 2004, MyFamily.com.
=============================================
REPRINT POLICY:
We encourage the circulation of the "Ancestry Daily News" via non-
profit newsletters and lists providing that you credit the author,
include any copyright information (Copyright 1998-2004, MyFamily.com,
Inc. and its subsidiaries.), and cite the "Ancestry Daily News"
as the source, so that others
can learn about our free newsletter as well.
``````````````````````````````````````````````
I was hesitant about subscribing to a daily newsletter but as a subscriber to ancestry.co.uk
to which new data is added every working day I find this invaluablke.
I reposted the above article because it broadens the european genealogist's knowledge of US American procedures and institutions
note I googled several of the places previously unknown to me
You should google any phrase of up to 10 words to check stuff out.
posted by Hugh W at 7:21 pm
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