I do a great deal of look ups for Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness. Most important is to check with the office for a location, especially if the cemetery is large. I have found markers with out any assistance. I have found markers with assistance. And with assistance and the assurance that it is there, have been unable to find anything. Bring water to drink, for washing the marker, for holding a small flower I also bring. Here in FL, I always have bug spray, the mosquitos were really bad last weekend, but I was successful. Found her marker with no help, his does not exist, so I feel I'm hitting 100%. What is getting so frustrating is that now large corporations are buying cememteries and the records are all together in some distant place, so while there may be someone in an office, they have nothing to look at. They make a call and are given a location and they pick up a map and point. Not too helpful. We've driven several hundred miles to look at a cememtery. Had no idea where we were going or what we would find and it was a weekend, so no one was available. Study the layout, Find the oldest section and work til you can find a section of the approximate dates. The cemetery we were looking at had a very distinct Jewish section, a very distinct very old section and a much newer section and a military area. We spent about an hour but suddenly found the whole family! Ask people who are also visiting. If they come often, they may be familiar with the surrounding names. We found a grandmother that way. We were a block off, but while they were looking they had seen the name and remembered it. Offer to help them look for their relatives also! After you have visited, check out the local library, maybe they have films of old newpapers or a wonderful genealogy section with a history of the town. We found a terrific book that we were able to purchase. Found that an ancestor had bought the new windows for the burnt out church that were subsequently sold to a local family and are still in the house. I want our windows back!!! I get immense joy from being able to send someone an obit of a relative they never knew, a picture of their marker or even an old house. Check RAOGK before you go and see if anyone is in the area where you are going. We are a great group of very helpful people! And someday, someone in Irleand is going to find my family!!!! AnneMarie

Hi Annmarie, Do you have an address for Random acts of Kindness? I have a cousin who died in Ft. Lauderdale a few years ago and I would like to know what he died of. The st. of Florida will not give this info out to me because I'm not a close relative. Dorothy ----- Original Message ----- From: <Nanaannemarie@aol.com> To: <IRISH-AMERICAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 5:35 PM Subject: Re: [Irish-American] going to family cemetery > I do a great deal of look ups for Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness. >