Advice When Researching Graveyards...

[sammarroq]

Blondeyelaurie, Dreaminghawk and Mousini 78 have been most helpful in my understanding of different things to look for when researching graveyards...would you folks be willing to post some of this info, not just for my mind that seem to lose things now and then, but for others searching as well. Thanks much much you knowledge is so valuable:) .

Shirley

[Mousini78]

Are you meaning as far as the paper search or when you are entering the cemetery?

The one thing I can't stress enough is to use soundex, related names/spellings when looking for ancestors.....actually look at the document...your interpretation may be different from those that typed the survey/census/birth/death record.

The other thing to keep in mind, and we run into this a lot, is that because it's a fieldstone cemetery, does not necessarily mean it's a "slave" or necessarily a "black" cemetery. It could be several things....an old one, mixed bloods living Euro style, someone could not afford a stone (if one was available to be bought), or haste in burial.

[sammarroq]

Thanks Becky, yes both the paper and physical research. I did not know about the perrywinkle for groundcover, the size and shape of stones, etc. It made it easier to walk to a graveyard and understand maybe a little about those buried there.

By the way, I have pictures of Eli Blankenship cemetery in Hurley (near Grundy), I will send them to you. Lots of Gibson's (though not my particular line), as well as Saylers, Thomas, Sparks, many unmarked, etc.

Shirley


Are you meaning as far as the paper search or when you are entering the cemetery?

The one thing I can't stress enough is to use soundex, related names/spellings when looking for ancestors.....actually look at the document...your interpretation may be different from those that typed the survey/census/birth/death record.

The other thing to keep in mind, and we run into this a lot, is that because it's a fieldstone cemetery, does not necessarily mean it's a "slave" or necessarily a "black" cemetery. It could be several things....an old one, mixed bloods living Euro style, someone could not afford a stone (if one was available to be bought), or haste in burial.

[Mousini78]

Ok, some of the things we have found in our research:
1. Look for non-native plantings such as periwinkle, ivy, magnolias, roses, buttercups, boxwoods. Periwinkle is not native to our area and was planted for several reasons...it was a good groundcover to minimize weeds and it was also thought to keep out evil spirits. But, you won't necessarily find it in "slave or AA" cemeteries.
2. Spring time is a good time to look for the blooming plants...we ride the roads looking for things blooming where there are no homes.
3. Look around old homeplaces. They didn't carry their loved ones too far. Most folks didn't have a wagon and were lucky to have a horse. It's just common sense.
4. Also look for large cedar trees. We have found that most older cemeteries have "guardian" trees.
5. Winter time is a good time to look for periwinkle. It remains green all year long. At this time the other groundcovers are dead. And winter is a better time to see stones sticking up out of the ground. In the summertime, they are covered with lots of greenery.
6. Fieldstone cemeteries are just as important as carved stones. And some times you can see where the stones have been "worked or knapped". It is also a common belief that a grave totally covered with "stones" was a drowning victim. They believed that the body would "float up" out of the grave, so it was covered with stones to "weight" it down.
7. If you feel the need to clean up a cemetery, keep in mind that mowing groundcover will allow weeds to grow. Leave the groundcover, pick up any old dead wood and remove from cemetery. Leave large trees where they are, they are the atoms of the folks buried there. You can cut small saplings, though.

Ok, that's enough for today without some more coffee....

[Mousini78]

Well, something else popped in my mind as soon as I got my next cup of coffee....

Respect to stones:
1. Please reconsider doing a "rubbing". The action of rubbing across an older stone may actually do harm. Some stones are made of soapstone and some are very fragile. It's always best to invest in a digital camera and take a picture.
2. If you can't read the writing, take a pinch of the dirt that is already surrounding the stone, rub it into the grooves of the wording, then brush it off with your hand. That will leave the wording darker and hopefully, more legible. The next rain will wash it off.
3. Think twice about using chalk or any other non-natural material to rub into the grooves since they all contain some type of chemical.
4. Stones don't necessarily need to be cleaned. Some times the harsh chemicals and scrubbing action can be more detrimental than the way it was originally. If you must clean a stone, use a gentle detergent in a spray bottle and brush with a soft brush.

Ok, that's the lesson for the day, kids.

[sammarroq]

Thank you Becky! This is so interesting, we probably drive by old cemeteries all the time. I will pay more attention in my travels...never know what one may come across.:) What wonderful tips, and I agree that the most utmost care should be taken to respect those who were buried there and to perserve the stones. Blessings,

Shirley

[danricecote]

Rather than doing a "rubbing"; if you can access the stone at night, take a portable black-light along with - makes reading easier.
Also, whoever lives closest to any particular graveyard is very likely to know the entire history of everyone resting there - especially if they're an "old timer".

[techteach]

If they will talk to you. I asked an old man for directions to the cemetery where my NA ancestors were buried. He looked just like my grandmother too so probably related. He just looked away and hustled into the house. The cemetery turned out to be just around the curve of the road. Always wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that they were NA.

Techteach

[BlondeyeLaurie]

Howdy folks....I'm by no means an expert at all on cemetery workings and recording but hubby and I have tended to quite a few around these parts locally...we always take along a spray bottle of water and spritz an older stone to make the writing "pop" out for picture takign time....and as Becky mentioned, rubbing a bit of dirt is oft times right helpful too. we NEVER clean a stone with any chemical or other goop but have used a soft brush and water bottle for those that we brought up to surface level.
As to sized of headstones...we have found that typically the very small short stones with a rounded top edge are footmarkers....and they often have initials only on them....the base and/or headstones are often found from between 3' and 6' above them...and may well be buried so gently prodding can be helpful....tamp very lightly upward to where the headstone may be and at first sound of a lil clang or clink....take to your knees and gently pry the sod to uncover your treasure taking great care not to use any tools....almost as an archeologist would unearth skeletal remains. A wisk broom is helpful to have too. If you notice a definative line of stones and happen upon an obviosu gap...it may well be that the "missing" stone or stones are just beneath the surface. I have noticed that especially in KY, there are alot of Yucca looking plants interred in place of headstones....and the Periwinkle as a covering is common too. Another thing to consider in burial practices is that soem Native tribes did/do not believe in using a stone or marker (Cherokee comes to mind most here)...instead they leave one end of the gravesite "open"...the thinking is that the stone woudl "hold" the person to the earth....and with the one open end of the grave...that would allow for the departed person's "spirit" to escape. The best advice I can give re: broken stones and errantly looking placed fieldstones is this: NEVER remove them...leave then laying exactly where they are! What may look like a lil river rock may well be someone's sacred marker. I was just appalled this past weekend when I went North of Dayton (to visit with cousin Shirley) ...I passed a little hilltop cemetery and noticed that some idiot had piled at least 100 broken stones and field markers in a pile! Now those sacred stones are lost to exactly where the departed persons were buried....that really ticked me right off....and I will find out what that cemetery is called and contact the county co-ordinator to see just who is "maintaning" it. Similarly I have seen where stones that are broken are all leaned up en mass against a prominent tree in a cemetery...that is equally errant. As an aside....if you notice that a loved ancestor who seved in the military has a broken/damaged or missing stone....you can request a FREE replacement military marker and flag holder for that person by contacting NARA or your local veteran's administration....and most local veteran's organizations will help you in erecting the replacement marker if you contact them (such as an Eagles Lodge or VFW etc).....soem will even with a call or two, honor the veteran in ceremony when the new marker is being placed.
Keep in mind too that before visiting a cemetery, oft times you can call ahead and request that the cemetery overseer erect flags or ribboned sticks marking the burial locatiosn of your ancestors (most helpful) when there is NO headstone or are in larger cemeteries. Funeral home records can also be immensely helpful in locating exactly who is buried where...I have seen for example where the record indicates that the deceased person si buried between so and so at said cemetery....and in some cases, in the absence of a stone for that person...you can at least know where they are buried when you locate one or both of the relatives buried beside them.
I suppose I have babled enough for one day....hope some of this is helpful for some. Blessings for all~~~~Laurie

[danricecote]

Laurie, this is excellent information and education regarding what not to touch in old cemeteries.
With the rise in popularity of Genealogy, there are many, many folks locating, visiting and attempting to "repair" old graveyards large and teeny. Each learns a bit of something else ... but I fear that many who don't happen to be looking for any Native relatives also wouldn't chance to know some of the particulars related to Native burial - and perhaps nothing about stones "laying about" so, altho' there seems no easy way to do it - information like yours needs to be spread around in a really large way. I think you've seen nearly first-hand how much work the Whitaker family is putting into such projects - and while they offer much info on what not to do to a marker (no shaving-cream, for instance) - they may also lack info such as you've given us here today.
pi LA huc,
Cuzzin Dano

[Mousini78]

Just went through destruction of an abandoned church cemetery yesterday with a family member. And these stones were carved. The current landowner has piled them up and there are only two left in place. He has put in an easement over top of several of the graves. Not sure what will come about with this.

And this is not the first time this has happened in our county. There have been several destroyed over the years. Some people think because no one visits that no one cares. And I have even heard someone say..."Well, they are dead and gone, they won't know." That just chaps my hide...and I usually bite my tongue. But, it is a felony to knowingly destroy any stones or disturb a gravesite/flowers. But, the trick is....you have to catch them or see it being done. The best advice to the family yesterday....documents, pictures and testimony of family members as to who was buried and where. Hopefully, they can find some church records to know exactly how many stones might have been there.

Oh, and on another note about the Veteran Stones....we actually set up the CSA dedications in our county for any Confederate Veterans we find resting in the woods or remote locations that have been forgotten. Did two in February...talk about rewarding experience. We had reenactors and cannons and the whole nine yards.
And we pass along the information about the stones to family members....most funeral homes here are good about helping the family to get a stone.
Aho
Becky

[sammarroq]

Some great posts here...I will have to have to make notes to take on my next cemetery visit.

Becky, we saw something similar in the Grundy/Hurley area...we saw were a new driveway was put in and the pavement went right into this patch of perrywinkle...at the end of the drive all these stones were in a pile. I would not have thought anything of it....but you and Ken helped me to see just what happened...it is too sad. The owners may not even know what they have done.:(

Shirley

[Dreaminghawk]

All good advice...... only one note at this time....... to understand the orientation in abandoned and overgrown cemeteries..... be aware that virtually all christian burials will be with the head (and headstone) to the west and the toes to the east (footstone). The reason is that Jesus will come from the east and the body(soul) will rise onto it's feet facing Jesus without having to pivot.

[danricecote]

All good advice...... only one note at this time....... to understand the orientation in abandoned and overgrown cemeteries..... be aware that virtually all christian burials will be with the head (and headstone) to the west and the toes to the east (footstone). The reason is that Jesus will come from the east and the body(soul) will rise onto it's feet facing Jesus without having to pivot.

Thanks fellow Scorpio - you're 6 days older than I - this is another one I didn't know ... and immediately perplexes me trying to think of everyone I know whose body is in the ground and how they how oriented.
I often don't understand the whys of things ... but it is good to know habits like this exist. Thanks Dreaminghawk!

[Ed Yancey]

Dreaminghawk, you are right on the money on this one. We call the practice "Facing East" being when the body rises at the first resurrection they will be facing toward the rising sun (Son) to see Jesus. Cemetaries today,especially the commercial or public ones have almost if not totally abandoned this practice to make use of every possible inch of land. Ed

[redfox]

In some states you can also look for personal information in archives of those in cementaries records/books I found this in tx, ca, oh, tn, so also check those.