Cemetery Records

How to use cemetery records for ancestry and genealogy research.

The most common cemetery records can include sexton or caretaker records, church records, and tombstones and gravestones.

 

Check out the following videos to learn more about cemetery records:

Information Found on Cemetery Records

What information will you find in cemetery records?

Cemetery records usually include birth and death information. You will often find other information and clues that will lead you to other records. This information can include the address of deceased; age at death; cause of death; cost of the plot or burial; date of death; full name, including maiden name for women; birthplace; full dates of birth and death; information linking the plot owner to other plots (in cases of disinterment, reburial, and so on); information about military service, such as unit; inscription (poem, Bible quote) providing insight into the individual or those left behind; logo of the organization that the deceased belonged to (ethnic, religious, military, or other organizations); the name of doctor or hospital; the name of officiating minister; names of other involved (funeral home, officiating clergyman, memorial company); owner of the plot; relationship clues (“Beloved wife of . . .”, list of children, or who else is buried in the plot); marriage date (rare); where deceased died, if other than where they lived; and photos, favorite saying, writings, music, or images that relate to a hobby or profession.

What are some research insights for cemetery records? To find tombstone and sexton records, you will need to know the individual’s name and where they were buried. Search all available sources of cemetery records to build as complete a profile as possible for the individual. Tombstone inscriptions are as different as the individuals they commemorate. In most cases, you will find some element of value. You will most likely find the person’s actual name or even a nickname to help you find information. Many cemeteries have paper records of buried persons there, kept with the sexton. These records come in many formats. Some churches keep what is known as burial records.

Also, keep in mind that there are several types of cemeteries.

  • Religious cemeteries. These cemeteries were often located next to the religious group’s church or synagogue. Qualification for burial was often reserved for the burial of the congregation members or faith. The records of burials in religious cemeteries are most likely to be found with that religious group rather than with a sexton.
  • Community cemeteries. Contact the sexton if you suspect the individual was buried in a community cemetery. The sexton’s job is to coordinate, and often actually handle, the burial duties (usually in concert with a mortuary and church) and keep the records of burials in that cemetery.
  • Private cemeteries. The earliest cemeteries, especially in the southern states and New England states, were private, family cemeteries and may appear in any locality. Private cemeteries can also include cemetery associations and fraternal or social groups, such as the Mason or Old Fellows. These cemeteries are usually located in very rural areas with no other options.
  • Commercial cemeteries. Commercial cemeteries are among the most common cemeteries today and have taken the place of community cemeteries. These cemeteries are run by a local mortuary or company and are usually found in larger communities. Individuals are not likely to be found in such cemeteries unless they lived in the 1900s.

Where to Find a Cemetery

Where will you find cemeteries?

Locating a burial site can be difficult, but people are usually buried where they die. Begin your search for a cemetery where an individual drops out of the records such as a city, town, county, or state. In any given area, there are usually many cemeteries. The records for various cemeteries are often in many different places and may not be easily accessible.

The records are often organized chronologically or by plot and are not usually alphabetical. If public records exist for an individual, they will usually denote where the burial occurred. For deaths occurring after 1870, the community may have required a burial permit from the local health department (these are not death certificates), which would identify the cemetery the person was buried in.

Sexton’s records are often found at the cemetery itself. If you come across an “inactive” or “full” cemetery because there is no more room for additional burials, contact the local sexton to begin your search to see if they have records.

There are many directories that can help you to locate a specific cemetery and a list of all possible cemeteries in a certain locality. In large cities, start looking for a city directory at the time an individual died. There are also online record directories, such as Interment.net, FindAGrave, Obituary Central’s Cemetery Search, and the Political Graveyard. Consider also checking with local mortuaries in the area an individual died, because they will be aware of at least the active cemeteries of that time and may be able to refer you to a local cemetery association. For example:

Other resources I have used include maps, GPS, land records (deeds), obituaries, death certificates, mortuary records, local and regional government, church officials, genealogy and historical societies, community residents, and local historians.

Other Records to Help in Ancestry Research

Where can I learn more about how to trace ancestry?

The following are important articles for learning about ancestry and historical research.

Where can I learn more about records to trace ancestry?

The following is an overview of 15 types of vital, government and historical records I have found constantly valuable in my individual, family, and narrative research. These records provide vital and biographical information on individuals and families. When I mastered researching these resources, I could quickly expand my research to other records to help me connect the pieces for writing narratives and other historical research.

For each record type, I have included what you will find, how to use the resource, and research insights for each record type. I would encourage you to use this article as a starting point from which you can search out and find other record tutorials guides and help to provide deeper insights.