Getting More Out of Your Field Trip

Getting More Out of Your Field Trip--Visiting Cemeteries

A visit to cemeteries is part of the genealogist’s routine. Besides getting some fresh air and having the chance to see an ancestor’s grave stone, trips to cemeteries give you a feel for your ancestor’s life. At least you know if the place was flat, hilly, hot, or near a river, and you can make some judgments about the ancestor’s life style.
Even when there are transcriptions of cemeteries, there is no substitute for a personal visit. The John Paul Chapter of DAR did an extensive job in Jefferson County in records that were published in 1941 and the late Wanda Morford published a wonderful book for Switzerland County in the 1980s. Violet Toph catalogued Ripley County in the 1930s and many of these have been brought up to date by the Ripley County Historical Society. Toph, in particular, went beyond cataloguing stones and often lists names of people in unmarked graves and parents of the deceased where she knew them. These comments were maintained in the newer historical society transcriptions. And of course, there have been updated transcriptions for some Jefferson County stones on this the Jefferson County and Switzerland County GenWeb sites.
But all transcriptions include copying errors and missed stones The DAR missed two of my ancestors in the Caledonia Cemetery on the Jefferson/Switzerland County line and missed two more at the Milton Baptist Church Cemetery in Milton Township. Toph got another ancestor’s death date wrong in Ripley County. That’s just the facts of life when you are dealing with a lot of dates. The John Paul Chapter also did not transcribe many stones of young children.
You need to check the stones yourself, because it’s a lot easier to read a stone if you are familiar with the names in a particular family. You are less likely to read a weather-worn Hankins inscription as Hawkins if you are researching Hankins. You need to know who is buried next to whom. Since many transcriptions are alphabetical, not by rows, (and don’t blame transcribers, rows are almost impossible to determine in many older cemeteries), a visit may show a married daughter, whose inscription is under the name of a second husband, buried next to her father.
Get a map. County maps can be purchased for a nominal fee from the county offices. Determine the best route to the cemetery before trying your hand at navigation. One word of warning: from roughly the 1960s through the 1990s, counties numbered the roads as 600N and 500W and placed those designations on the maps. Unfortunately, most area residents never learned the numbers. Many visitors would stop by our house asking where 300W or so on was and we had no clue. If you still own a map using this system, it is pretty well worthless. Because of the need to have house numbers for use by rescue squads, numbers were replaced with road names, sensibly enough, the names that had been in use all along.
Learn as much as you can about the cemetery and its history before you get there. Be alert to cemeteries that have multiple names or may have a name used by residents that is different than that shown on the maps. The old cemetery of the Indian-Kentuck Baptist Church near Canaan is often called Flat Bottom, or more commonly just Flat. The cemetery at Benham is called Lincolnville, Old Middlefork, or Benham Cemetery. The cemetery shown as the Hankins cemetery in Milton Township is actually the Vernon family cemetery (once owned by a Hankins). The Lee cemetery is sometimes called the Buchanan cemetery (once owned by Happy Buchanan.) Be aware of churches with similar sounding names. Bethel and New Bethel are both in Saluda Township. There’s an Old Bethel cemetery in Craig Township. There are Olive Branch Cemeteries in Jefferson and Ripley Counties.
Different denominations may have owned a single cemetery. The Cross Plains Church of Christ was known for more than a century as the Salem Christian Church. But when the cemetery was established, the denomination using the church building was a Separate Baptist Church. The Canaan cemetery was associated with the former Canaan Methodist Church, but was purchased by the Indian-Kentuck Baptist Church congregation. Christian Churches, in particular, were often formed from Baptist or New Light congregations in the 1830s.
Stones (and bodies) may have been moved . Because of the establishment of the former Jefferson Proving Ground several cemeteries in Monroe Township in Jefferson County and Shelby Township in Ripley County were relocated and the bodies re-interred. Most were moved just south of Fairmount Cemetery in Jefferson County, the others to Ripley County. Stones (but not the bodies) from the McLaughlin Cemetery and a small Buchanan family plot on the Ripley/Jefferson County line were moved to the nearby (and larger) Buchanan cemetery between 1972 and 1984. Stones and bodies from the Culbertson cemetery near Caledonia were relocated to the Caledonia Presbyterian Church Cemetery on the Jefferson/Switzerland County line.
Most country cemeteries have no permanent employees, and many country churches may not have anyone to answer the telephone during the week. Most have incomplete, if any, records of who is buried in their cemeteries. In some places, the cemetery association–not the church–may be the custodian of any records. There are many church cemeteries that outlasted the churches, among them Olive Branch Methodist Church (north of Madison, Jefferson County); Zion Baptist Church (near Bennington, Switzerland County); Pleasant Valley Methodist (Graham Township, Jefferson County). The existence of many extinct churches is not recorded in denominational records.
I recommend having a copy of transcriptions with you. Stones may be missing and you may want to note any differences in dates or spellings you find. Also, you may be able match alphabetical listings to the actual physical layout of stones to relate people of similar names. This can also save you from spending your time writing down interesting, but marginal transcriptions, so you can concentrate on more important targets. Check off stones that you find on the transcription list. Note any differences in a notebook or on the list itself. I also recommend that you make a list of questions you want answered. This is particularly important if you have a large number of relatives or ancestors buried in a particular cemetery. Don’t get 300 miles away and realize that you forgot to check an important fact.
Some other points:
Headstones and footstones. Many graves have a headstone with the inscription and a footstone to mark the other end of the grave. Some transcribers are confused by footstones, which often have only the deceased’s initials, or perhaps a first name, and think the footstone represents a distinct burial.
Rubbings. I have never done stone rubbings. I have read articles that say rubbings can damage monuments. I offer no insight on this issue because it does not strike me as something I wish to spend my limited research time doing.
Photos: I regret not having taken more photos of ancestor’s tombstones. Stones break, become unreadable, or are stolen. Two basic tips of photography: make sure the stone is large enough in your camera’s view finder that it will be large enough to make out details on the print. (Digital is fine, but I still don’t like browsing photos on my computer and it’s a bit hard to pass your computer around to friends to show them the photos. It’s great if you want to e-mail the photos), and DON’T SHOOT TOWARDS THE SUN--you can get a very nice (and unreadable) silhouette. Always pack an extra set of camera batteries and you should probably simply install new batteries before starting on a long trip. If you are using film, pack extra film and make sure there is film in the camera before you get there. After each shot, note the number of the frame and what the subject was.
Life issues: Bring water. Go to the restroom beforehand. Figure out where food is available or bring it with you. If you are in the country, none of these may be readily available. Even in a cemetery in town, it may be a long distance to the next restroom so plan according to your own needs.
Supplies: Always have a supply of notebooks with blank pages and several pens with you. Don’t use felt tipped pens. Sweaty hands (or sudden rain) can make the ink from felt tips and flairs run.
Sticks and gloves: In old cemeteries stones may be lying on the ground and covered with dirt. Use a stick to tamp the ground to look for buried stones. You may want gloves for use if you need to scrape dirt away from inscriptions. (And wear a hat if it’s sunny.)
No Trespassing. You may have a legal right to visit a cemetery. But you may have to cross somebody’s land to get there. If there’s a house nearby, ask if it’s okay. Many farmers, who are very considerate when asked, will run you away if you don’t.
Safety. Watch the weather. Especially in a country cemetery, if a thunder storm approaches, you may be the tallest thing in the cemetery. Get into your car before the storm hits.
Flowers. Sometimes they cover transcriptions. Carefully move them aside and put them back when you are done. Be a good neighbor.
Disappointments. Be prepared. You may not be able to find a small family cemetery. Even some which haven’t been destroyed simply vanish as stones fall and are covered with earth.

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