Ancestry Quick Tip Jamboree: Cemetery Tips It's time for this week's Ancestry Quick Tip Jamboree! Thanks to everyone who has sent in a Quick Tip. Please keep them coming so that we can keep this tradition going. You can send your tips to: <A HREF="mailto:[email protected]">mailto:[email protected]</A>. It's Spring again and a great time to go cemetery hopping! Here's a great selection of tips to keep in mind on your next trip to the cemetery. Have a great day! Juliana Quick Tips may be reprinted, with credit to the submitter, in other Ancestry publications, so if you do NOT want your tip included in a publication other than the Ancestry Daily News and Weekly Digest, please state so clearly in your message. Trouble-Free Cemetery Labels I take lots and lots of cemetery photos. Here's a tip for trouble- free labeling: I write on a white page on a clipboard in DARK FELT TIP, the name of the cemetery and the CITY/STATE (and location number if there is enough space to write) all clearly and large enough to show up in my photo. Then religiously, I put the card at the base of the monument on either the WEST or the NORTH position to the marker. I only deal with WEST or NORTH and so West would be to the Left of the monument, North would be to the Right of the monument. EVERY photo I take is immediately identifiable. I don't need labels or a pen. I can use the photos the second they come out of the photo envelope. Valentine Diagrams Make Finding Headstones A Snap I go a step further than Dianne suggested in a previous quick tip. I photograph the entry to the cemetery or the church where it is located. I also draw a quick sketch showing the orientation of the cemetery and the location (row and plot) of my ancestor's grave(s). That way, I can find them quickly on any return visit or direct other family members to their location. Ila Verne Toney Conroe, Texas Photograph Cemetery Landmarks When I go a cemetery, I not only take photos of tombstones, I also take photos of the church and, if available, photos of pillars or archways that lead into the cemetery. This not only is a landmark for me on my sojourns on tombstone searches, but there may also be information inscribed on a plaque in front of, or on the church, or on the pillars or archways at the entrance. There may be a monument within the cemetery itself with valuable information on it. As for me, I really enjoy looking for evidence of my ancestor's existence and as much information that I can collect when I am in my "in search of mode," for my unknown ancestors. Laura LaRose, Boswell, PA Use Archival Products for Labeling I, too, used to label the photos of gravestones to identify not only the cemetery with city and state, but also the relationship to the common ancestor of the individual and myself. After having done many this way, I learned that adhesive labels were not ideal. It took a librarian who needed acid-free paper to tell me this, though I worked in a college in-house printing operations shop. It should be stressed that labels and any papers and photo album pages should be acid free. The label adhesive should also be one that is safe to use on photos, otherwise the properties of the adhesive can start seeping through and damage the photo or the album page and the photos and/or images on the other side of that page. The same holds for photo mounting corners. It's better to use an acid-free pencil or ink pen and carefully write on the back of the photo the information you desire to record. Photo album supplies such as the acid-free pens, pencils, papers, album pages, and other accessories can be found more readily now than ten to fifteen years ago. Wal-Mart and other like stores, as well as stationery stores such as Hallmark, have a range of these supplies at reasonable prices. Debbi Geer Camera Lens Helps Read Stones Recently, I was in a cemetery on a rainy day looking for my ancestor's gravestones. When I found the gravestones, several were difficult to read because of the wear on them with the passing of time and the exposure to bad weather. I wanted to photograph them anyway, and when I put the camera to my eye I discovered that I could make out some of the lettering and numbers on some of the stones a little better than with my naked eye. My husband suggested that it might have something to do with the filtering of light through the lens. I don't know what it was, but it helped me to make out the name Eliza on one particular stone that was badly decayed. Maybe this will work for others, too. Sherry Kilgore Enjoy the View If and when you are at a cemetery, take a minute to survey the location. Often, the old cemeteries have lovely locations, sometimes on the side of a hill, and you can see for a distance; or a few graves will be placed under some large trees, with the river down below. I have enjoyed walking in cemeteries in both the Northwest and the Midwest. Elsie Wilson Oregon Contact Current Plot Owner I was recently in Ohio for a funeral. While there, I was checking the cemetery records in the office, when I came across a name that had not been there on an earlier trip. It turned out to be the name and address of the current owner of the lot where my husband's great- grandfather was buried. She was the daughter of my husband's great- uncle and when I contacted her she was able to provide information on other family members. This woman was born in 1913 so she had a great deal of personal knowledge about the family. Janet Moorhead Interview Family, and Cemetery Photo Filing Tip This may be a repeat "tip" by someone else. It is such a simple, but useful tip. I made copies of old pictures that my mother, now deceased, had in her album, and sent them to Mother's first cousins that are still living. I asked these cousins to identify everyone they can in the picture. Sometimes I write on the back of the picture the people I know, and leave blank the ones I don't know. Some of the children in the pictures, now grown, have been identified by these cousins. They knew them when they were children. This has helped me identify other pictures of these children that are in the family. I have also called some of these cousins, and they have told me little things of interest like "your great grandmother and her sister were 'Corseteers' at Marshall Fields in Chicago. They were certified in this profession." This may not sound too exciting but they don't have corsets anymore and I had no idea my great grandmother worked at Marshall Fields in Chicago, nor that her sister did either. My point is, you can find out all kinds of information that may lead to bigger and better pieces of information by interviewing older family members. For example, the time period that my great grandmother and her sister lived in Chicago can be calculated and then the census records and directories can be used to determine their address, children, husband's name, etc. especially if you don't have that information and are seeking to find it. Interviewing older relatives that are still alive is a wonderful resource in itself. It can be done over the phone or in person. In person, you can get a picture of them as they look today for your records also. Another "tip" that is probably a common one, but quite useful: Take pictures of headstones and write on the back of the picture all the additional information necessary to know where these headstones are located, such as the name of the cemetery, city, county and state where located, lot number, section, etc. if known. Also, if name is not present or legible, write it on the back of the picture. For example, sometimes there will be a big family stone with small stones that say "Mother," "Father," etc. If the pictures of the big stone and smaller stones were to become separated later, you or someone else will know whose grave you/they are looking at. Keep an alphabetized index file in a recipe style box of these pictures so you can readily located them. Susan Pena Arlington, TX I take a lot of cemetery photos. I always take a photo of the entrance or church, also the section, as often there are signs telling which section they are in. I also use my computer and label the photos when I put them in my album. Joe Cawley Augusta, Ga 30909 Record Latitude and Longitude in Cemeteries I recommend adding degrees of latitude and longitude when describing the location of a cemeteries and obscure burial sites. Lat/Lon allows pinpointing locations within mere feet. It is especially helpful in finding an accurate location of grave sites in rural areas, many of which are unmarked, overgrown, abandoned, and may only contain one or two graves. A Global Positioning System (GPS) device can be purchased for well under $100. Pawn Shops are a good source. They're simple and easy to use. Just turn them on at the site you want to record, and within a minute or so the degrees of lat/lon are displayed. Try it. I believe that in the future, genealogy buffs and other researchers will appreciate this bit of extra effort on our part. I sure wish my ancestors had passed this kind of information on to me. [Unsigned]