GenFriends Genealogy Chat Show: Cemetery Preservation with Jenny Hawran

The panel Melissa Barker, Jenny Hawran, Laura Hedgecock, Shelley Murphy, Mary Kircher Roddy, and I get together to hear Jenny's experience working with Atlas Preservation to preserve a cemetery in her local area. 

Watch as Jenny shares her experience learning how to clean the stones and how they can be repaired and straightened. 

Have you helped with cleaning and preserving a cemetery?

We'd love to hear from you!

Links in this episode:

https://atlaspreservation.com/

 Contact the panelists:

Melissa Barker -A Genealogist in the Archives

http://agenealogistinthearchives.blogspot.com/

Bernice Bennett-Geniebroots

http://www.geniebroots.com/

Jenny Hawran-Like Herding Cats Genealogy

https://like-herding-cats.com/

Laura Hedgecock-Treasure Chest of Memories

https://treasurechestofmemories.com/

Mary Kircher Roddy-MKR Genealogy

https://www.mkrgenealogy.com/

https://appliedgen.institute/

Shelley Murphey-Family Tree Girl

https://familytreegirl.com/

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Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun~Longest Line of Ancestral Tombstones

This week on his blog Genea-Musings, Randy Seaver gives the challenge to determine and share our longest line of ancestral tombstones.

My longest unbroken line is on my paternal side.
1-My grandfather Benjamin Allen Hudson (1918-1976) buried in the Sumter City Cemetery, Sumter, South Carolina.

2-His father, my great grandfather, John McSwain Hudson (1880-1961) buried in Home Branch Cemetery, Paxville, Clarendon, South Carolina.

3-John's mother, my great great grandmother, Sarah Rebecca (Smith) Flemming Hudson (1835-1916) buried in Midway Presbyterian Church Cemetery, New Zion,  Clarendon, South Carolina.

©Cheri Hudson Passey

4-Sarah's mother, my 3rd great grandmother, Martha Julia (Epps) Smith (1808-1854) buried in McElveen Cemetery, Williamsburg County, South Carolina.

And ending with:

5- Martha's mother, my 4th great grandmother, Martha Elvira (Frierson) Epps (1783-1853) buried in Epps Cemetery, Williamsburg County, South Carolina.

Five generations of tombstones on my paternal side.

How many do you have on either of your lines? 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,

Tuesday's Tip~Gettin' By With Help From Our Friends~J. Paul Hawthorne

Today's Tip comes from GeneaSpy J.Paul Hawthorne.

 Cemeteries, plots, and records, oh my!

 We all know about Find A Grave and Billion Graves, but there are more information out there besides pictures of tombstones, if you just dig down a little (excuse the pun). Of course we know about the information the cemetery office holds, like when the person was buried, the exact row and plot, if there is an actual body there or just ashes. But, what else can we find about our ancestors final resting place? Below are three examples of how I found additional information with just a little sleuthing.

Grave Markers

 Somebody created them, somebody paid for them, but who? Check local grave marker companies for the time period using city directories. Do the companies still exist today? If so, contact them and ask if they still have records for the time period you’re interested in. If a company is not in business anymore, try local city, county, or even state archives. I found a book of a monument maker entitled, “J. Henry Brown Monuments, Inc. Order books, 1899–1920” in the Library of Virginia. Not only did it have a conceptual artist sketch of the monument (with dimensions too!) that I was looking for, but also included the name and address, and how much it cost.

Funeral Homes

 Another worthwhile research strategy is funeral home records. Who took charge of a deceased ancestor’s body? The two best places I have found for this information is the death certificate and the newspaper obituary. Check to see if they are still in business and if they have records for the time period you are researching. If they are not in business, check other nearby funeral homes, sometimes they will take over the business and keep their records. Be courteous when asking for these records, funeral homes are private businesses. They are not obligated to show you anything, so take it slow and easy when approaching them. Always thank them for their work in locating them for you.

Coroner Records

 Yes, coroner records. There may not be one for your ancestor, but hey, don’t you want to know? Again, the best place to know if an autopsy was performed is the death certificate. Also, if you suspect one after reading an obituary that say’s so and so died unexpectedly at age 40. That would be a big clue that there may be one done. Sometimes there is just an inspection done for the cause of death and no autopsy. The best place to find these records are the county medical examiner’s office. County websites usually have a link to their office where you can learn how to contact them. In the case of Texas, autopsy reports are public record and are accessible upon request. Check your state for accessibility.

Further Reading

 The following articles will expand the three topics I briefly touched upon.

·      United States Cemeteries https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Cemeteries

·      Cemetery Records https://www.ancestry.com/wiki/index.php?title=Cemetery_Records

·      What Info Found on Coroner's Report? http://www.genealogy.com/articles/over/heard040600.html

Paul is a passionate genealogist who loves to have fun digging up the past. Brought up in San Diego and now works for his family’s tractor business, Paul spends every spare moment in his quest of discovering his own family roots. Education is the key to documenting correctly your family tree. Belonging to several local, state, and national genealogical societies, along with attending conferences and institutes, he aggressively learns so he can correct and expand his over 20 years of research to new heights.

Thanks for the great tips, Paul!

What has helped you with your cemetery finds? We'd love to hear your suggestions. 

Are we kin? Need help with your research? Please contact me.

Together we can find our people.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Quaker Cemetery~One of My Favorite Places

           

  As a genealogist, cemeteries are on the top of my list of favorite places. One of my favorite cemeteries is Quaker Cemetry in Camden, Kershaw, South Carolina. Not only is it a beautiful, historic burying ground, but it is the final resting place of many of my ancestors. 

Main Entrance to Quaker Cemetery

    The cemetery originally owned by early Quaker settlers of the Camden area.  Founded in 1759, Quaker Cemetery was bought by the city in 1914 and retained its historical name. Buried there are members of the early Quaker Church, Revolutionary, and Civil War soldiers as well as those from the World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam. Generations of the community have been interred in this peaceful place.

Roberts' Plot
Quaker Cemetery

    Historical markers are placed on several graves including those of my maternal Great Grandfather Gilbert Ernest Roberts, Sr. (1920-1944) and his brothers Wilbert Lewis Roberts (1918-1944) and Edman George Roberts (1922-1943). The brothers died as a result of combat in WWII.

  Some of the older graves are wonderful resources for genealogists. The stones were carved with information about the person buried along with family names and dates. Some even include the country of origin.

  Why would a cemetery be one of my favorite genealogy places? Family Connections. Those buried together in the same plot tell a story. Inscriptions on stones give clues to the lives of those long gone.

  Visiting the burial sites of my where my ancestors helps me to feel a connection to them. Memories of experiences and love shared with those I knew and a desire to learn more about those I didn't always fills me while I am there.

Learning about their GGMom & Frank
 Quaker Cemetery July 2015

     Recently, my daughter took her four children to visit the graves of their ancestors buried in Quaker. Sitting them on the wall that surrounds the graves of their Great Great Grandparent's, she told stories of the lives and memories of "GGMom and Frank". 
Azile Juanita Daughrity Roberts Sullivan (1921-2009) and Francis "Frank" Emerson Sullivan (1923-2004).

  Cemeteries are a great source of family history information and a source to the connect the generations. They can be a peaceful place to ponder and appreciate those who have gone before.

 Do you include cemeteries on your list of favorite places?

This blog post was written for Any Johnson Crow's  52 Ancestors Week 38 -Favorite Place


Are we kin? Please contact me. Together we can find our people.
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National Volunteer Week-Thanks Find a Grave Volunteers!

   In a post from Jen Baldwin at Ancestral Breezes  I learned that it was National Volunteer Week. Jen suggested that we remember to thank those that have helped us on our genealogy journey.

 I want to thank all the many who volunteer at Find A Grave.  For those who may not be familiar with the site, Findagrave.com is a virtual cemetery where volunteers collect and add information from cemeteries from around the world.
 It is a free site and easy to search.

 In the last few months I have been the recipient of  some of the fine work that these volunteers do.

 I was able to find out where my Third Great Grandparents, William A. and Matilda Martin were buried from a volunteer who photographed and made memorial pages for those buried in Bethesda Presbyterian Cemetery, Statesville, Iredell County, NC.
  All I had was a clue that they may have been buried in Statesville, NC.
 A search on Find A Grave led me right to them.
 Now I not only have where my Marin's are buried but where several other of the family members are buried  as well, including their daughter, my Great Great Grandmother Ellen Caroline Martin Early.
 The only information I had on Ellen Caroline Martin Early was that " it was thought that burial would take place in Statesville".
From the burials recorded on Find A Grave from this cemetery I learned that my Great Grandfather, Jubal Ransom Early, had been married before he married my Great Grandmother, Emma Ruth Baker, and had at least one child from that marriage.

Find A Grave Memorial
William A. Martin
1813-1887
Bethesda Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Statesville, Iredell, NC

 The Memorial pages for this family and Memorials for other family lines I have found on this great website were graciously transferred over to me by those that had been maintaining them.
 I have made Memorial Pages for my family members who did not have one. In doing so I have come across wonderful photo volunteers.
 I now have pictures of many headstones that I did not have before.

One volunteer even was brave enough to patiently explain the importance of photographing headstones to a family who owned property where some of my family are buried. I have heard others have tried to get onto the private property that the Dargan Family Cemetery is on.Several have been told they could not have entrance in order to take pictures of the remaining headstones. I don't know what this particular volunteer did or what changed, but he was able to get the owners to let him gain access to the small cemetery. The photo's are now added to the Memorials on Find A Grave!

William Vaughn 1764-1857
Dargan Family Cemetery, Sumter, SC
Picture Courtesy Michael Dillingham,  FAG

 I have many similar stories of great volunteers who have helped me on Find A Grave.  From traveling many miles, taking pictures, transferring Memorials, photographing and making Memorials for whole cemeteries, to checking the cemetery office for me for available records, these are incredible people who are a true help to those of us who can't always travel to where our ancestors are buried.

  Now I want to pay if forward. I have signed up on Find A Grave to be a volunteer photographer for the cemeteries in my community.

 Thanks so much Find A Grave Volunteers and thanks Jen for making me aware of National Volunteer Month!


© Cheri Hudson Passey