Yes, I have gotten them to be more generous with the information that "the man" brings out but that is because I have spent a lot of time there and gotten to know him and his ways of doing things. Knowing that he will only bring out what you ask for, simply ask him if it would be too much trouble to bring out all the cards with the surname you are looking for. Tell him how helpful he is being. Be very ingratiating. And thank him profusely each time he helps you. Don't gush. He doesn't like that. Just be calm, nice and matter of fact. Kind of like him. But most importantly know what the records are. They have no records except caretaker records and those little cards before the 1904 fire. All was lost in the fire. They created those cards based on the caretakers records. Often you can find more on the tombstones than they have in their records. Help them out when this happens. Help him update his records. After 1904 when the moved the office to the cemetery, they kept all the usual records that a cemetery keeps. This includes, although most will not tell you, a death certificate number and cause of death. This fact proved very helpful to me when I couldn't find a individual's DC at the MSA even though he is buried at the cemetery. I asked "the Man" to look up the official records of burial and low and behold the individual had died in NY City of a stroke. NY City! No wonder I couldn't find a DC in Maryland on him. I had to ease in on him to get him to look but he did and was delighted I had found something interesting. He is not interested in your genealogy just the facts of what you want. I compliment him. I ask him about his wife who has been sick. I don't rush into anything. In other words, I mirror his demeanor and style. Yes, this means it takes longer. Yes, this means I work harder at times. But I have never come away empty handed. I haven't always found tombstones with tons of information or information they really have in their files. Baltimore Cemetery is very old and is owned by one person whom I think sees it as a tax write off. Because of the records lost, they are very cautious about letting people see what they have. But they will give you the information they have. ALSO--although the sign says $5.00 min for genealogy information. If he has been helpful, give him MORE! I always make sure I have four $5.00 bills, a $10 bill and a $20. And if I know I am going to be a bit of a pest that day, I put the money down on the desk when I walk in and announce to him I am going to be a pest so if he deserves more at the end, I will give it to him. He never asks but I still do if I have been a pest. Shoot--it is cheap fun. Jane Thursby In Maryland since the early 1600's and still here. Thursby, Stinchecum, Seward, Claggett, McNamara, Barnes, Muckelroy, Watkins, Kennard, Oldner, Cullison, Snyder, Griffin, Beall, White and more.

Great job Jane. You ahould write a book on how to get cemetery records. Ed Arthur ----- Original Message ----- From: <thursby@ourmarylandfamilies.com> To: <md-baltimorecity@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 9:04 AM Subject: [MD-BALTIMORECITY] Baltimore Cemetery > Yes, I have gotten them to be more generous with the information that "the > man" brings out but that is because I have spent a lot of time there and > gotten to know him and his ways of doing things. > > Knowing that he will only bring out what you ask for, simply ask him if it > would be too much trouble to bring out all the cards with the surname you > are looking for. Tell him how helpful he is being. Be very ingratiating. > And thank him profusely each time he helps you. Don't gush. He doesn't > like that. Just be calm, nice and matter of fact. Kind of like him. > > But most importantly know what the records are. > > They have no records except caretaker records and those little cards > before the 1904 fire. All was lost in the fire. They created those cards > based on the caretakers records. Often you can find more on the > tombstones than they have in their records. Help them out when this > happens. Help him update his records. > > After 1904 when the moved the office to the cemetery, they kept all the > usual records that a cemetery keeps. This includes, although most will > not tell you, a death certificate number and cause of death. This fact > proved very helpful to me when I couldn't find a individual's DC at the > MSA even though he is buried at the cemetery. I asked "the Man" to look > up the official records of burial and low and behold the individual had > died in NY City of a stroke. NY City! No wonder I couldn't find a DC in > Maryland on him. > > I had to ease in on him to get him to look but he did and was delighted I > had found something interesting. > > He is not interested in your genealogy just the facts of what you want. I > compliment him. I ask him about his wife who has been sick. I don't rush > into anything. In other words, I mirror his demeanor and style. > > Yes, this means it takes longer. Yes, this means I work harder at times. > But I have never come away empty handed. I haven't always found > tombstones with tons of information or information they really have in > their files. > > Baltimore Cemetery is very old and is owned by one person whom I think > sees it as a tax write off. Because of the records lost, they are very > cautious about letting people see what they have. But they will give you > the information they have. > > ALSO--although the sign says $5.00 min for genealogy information. If he > has been helpful, give him MORE! I always make sure I have four $5.00 > bills, a $10 bill and a $20. And if I know I am going to be a bit of a > pest that day, I put the money down on the desk when I walk in and > announce to him I am going to be a pest so if he deserves more at the end, > I will give it to him. He never asks but I still do if I have been a > pest. Shoot--it is cheap fun. > > Jane Thursby > In Maryland since the early 1600's and still here. > Thursby, Stinchecum, Seward, Claggett, McNamara, Barnes, Muckelroy, > Watkins, Kennard, Oldner, Cullison, Snyder, Griffin, Beall, White and > more. > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MD-BALTIMORECITY-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >