When I was taking classes in genealogy, it was explained to us that a Cemetery is a large plot of ground in which people are buried. It can be connected with a church -- but not near the church (with records at the Church) - or secular (with records at the city hall/courthouse. A Graveyard always surrounded the church and was composed of members of that congregation. Burial ground -- she didn't go into that but would it be a family site? Certainly I would think of it as smaller than a Cemetery. Carol Collins PeteScherm@aol.com wrote: For years, I have been using these terms interchangeably (the dictionary doesn't seem to differentiate amongst them), but yesterday I noticed a sentence in an article in the Journal of Irish Archaeology which made me question that. The essay deals with "Irish gravestones as a material form of genealogy" (duhhhh). But this sentence surprised me: "Theft of statuary and other elements of stonework, often for resale as garden ornaments, is also known, and whilst it is most frequently noted by cemetery managers, it occurs at graveyards also." The article, on "Artefact biography", is by Harold Mytum and is on pp. 111-127, Volumes XII and XIII, 2003-2004. Any comments? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pete Schermerhorn, in the glorious Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts ==== IRELAND Mailing List ==== Ireland Mailing List website..surname registry, links, lookup volunteers,unsubscribe, change your subscription from L to D or D to L http://www.connorsgenealogy.com/IrelandList/