[email protected] wrote: > > In a message dated 98-10-16 17:47:48 EDT, you write: > > << I second your response- but I do wonder how complete the stone surveys > are, since I could not locate my great-grandmother. > >> > > Hi, Paul ... > > My quess is that the people who recorded the tombstone inscriptions did as > thorough a job as they were able. Many of the older stones were sandstone so > on some the names and dates have been worn away by years of weathering, > rendering them unreadable. Some have been broken by vandals and/or time. And > I personally know of at least 2 smaller stones that have simply sunk into the > ground. > > And then, of course, sometimes our ancestors aren't buried where we think they > should have been. I've been surprised where I've found some of mine. > > I am so thankful to the people who spent a great deal of time and effort to > record the inscriptions from the stones in so many cemeteries. I know I found > some of my ancestors only after checking the books ... even though I'd walked > the cemeteries a number of times. You'd be surprised (I was) at how many > times you can walk past someone you are looking for without even seeing their > stone. Uggg. > > Anyway, hope this explains well enough why some of the people we might be > looking for aren't in the records. I do have names of some places that might > have the original cemetery records if anyone is interested. But have not had > the time to check any of the sources myself. > > Sue Sablic > Indiana > [email protected] > > ==== INDEKALB Mailing List ==== > Don't forget to visit us at: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~indekalb/index.html > > Your contributions are always welcome > for the web page and/or the > DCIGS "DeKalb Diggings" newsletter. > Suggestions/Comments welcome. Thanks for the reply. I should tell you of my problem. My great-grandmother (maternal) was a Emaline Crouse Hoffman who married George R Hoffman in 1853 in DeKalb Co. She was his second (of three) wives. She died in Aug of 1866 just after the birth of my grandmother, and left a will (very unusual at the time) which is in Will Book #1 in the Courthouse. The farm was in Butler twp and I have all the deed transfer records from the Courthouse. In spite of the many records, I cannot find what George did with her. There is no cemetery record in the lists in the Eckhart Lib. Apparently, after Emaline died, George sold the farm and moved to Concord twp and remarried. I suppose he might have buried her on the farm. He is buried alone in Evergreen Cem in Auburn. You are correct- I have seen very few local cemetery records as complete as the DeKalb Auburn listings. Thanks again. Paul J.