Also, in 1939 the Federal Government began a program of cataloging all the cemetery's in each county in the US. This information has either been placed with the county library or with the local historical society. There were more stones standing then and may give you a clue. As in your library where your county's list has been placed. Renee In a message dated 12/13/2009 6:58:48 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, fec33@comcast.net writes: The easiest way to find out if there are unmarked burials is dowsing. Some people believe in this practice and some do not. I understand that it will show where there is a grave, but it will not tell you who is buried there. Many very old cemeteries may have had records that were lost decades ago. If it is a church cemetery, the church may have records. However, many of the cemeteries adjacent to churches are no longer affiliated with the church and have no records until sometime in the 1940s when they incorporated. The old church records might include information on who was buried, but in many cases the ministers were itinerant and kept the records at their home or with them when they traveled. Seldom did such records stay with the church. If there are records for a cemetery, they are sometimes helpful. In most cases, the Centre County Genealogical Society tries to locate records, and if they exist they are utilized. Records of burials do not always indicate the cemetery where the deceased was buried. If the cemetery is indicated, there may be no indication of where the individual was buried within the cemetery. Ellen ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:19:19 -0800 From: fenenga@connpoint.net Subject: Re: [PACENTRE] cemeteries PACENTRE Digest, Vol 4, Issue 185 To: <pacentre@rootsweb.com> Message-ID: <51310.1260663559@connpoint.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" how does one go about finding out who is buried in old cemeteries in unmarked graves? Cornelia ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to PACENTRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message