Lapidary trails - tracing family history through graveyard artifacts: includes a list of four sources for further reading

The path to tracing family history recapitulates life: it leads to the graveyard. vast amounts of genealogical, cultural and historical information can be obtained from the funerary materials in burial turfs The inscriptions on the grave markers, of course, provide insight about the individuals they memorialize, on the other hand so too do the markers themselves. And when the materials in a graveyard are examined collectively, they throw back the social history of the ancestral community, yielding ball of threads about socioeconomic status, ethnic-cultural backgrounds and religious beliefs.

Standard genealogical resources (such as actions tax records, census-records, marriage licenses and baptism records--all before 1865) frequently disappoint researchers, particularly in searches for distant ancestors. In like cases, old burial sites can be especially valuable. If other records cannot be set the inscription on a grave marker may yield the sole information there is about an ancestor. In fact, it may be the alone evidence that a person actually existed.

Even if records exist, grave markers proffer a critical reading of the official account. The importance placed upon marking the graves, of lov singles means that the inscriptions usually provide reliable information. greatest in quantity give the name and the death date of the deceased. Also belonging to all are birth date, place of birth, place of death, age at death, and phrases that define family relationships, similar as "infant son of." "Aunt Tad," and "beloved wife of" Sometimes the cause of death will be given--"drowned in Honduras" or "cut not on by yellow fever."

If the ancestor was prominent in the community, an epitaph may indicate a profession or position held. For example, "1st Ordained cooled Bapst Minister in Florida," or "a teacher in this city for 38 years." types and designs may indicate membership in a religious or fraternal organization. A gravestone obtained from the U regulation for someone who was in the military usually has an inscription that indicates the deceased's rank, unit and branch of service. This information enables you to entreaty service and military pension records from the National Archives and other institutions.

Be positive to note the location of an ancestor's grave in relation to others in the burying-ground Several graves together, sometimes environed by a fence or curbing, may indicate a family or stretch outed kinship group. Make note of all the marker inscriptions within a grouping--it is likely that they are associated with the somebody you are researching.

You should photograph markers and you should transcript inscriptions exactly as they appear. Write each line separately, and duplicate precisely the abbreviations, spellings, punctuation and upper- and lower-case lettering. Any alphabetic characters or numbers that are not legible should be indicated by dint of a blank -- or a question mark (?) For example, "Died Ma? 14 18?3" or "Ja--s Jones"

Use black-and-white film: It grasps up better over time. coloring liquors in some color films deteriorate and the image eventually fades, making the photograph useless. let fly the photograph in the early morning or early afternoon (depending upon what direction the marker faces), when the angle of the orb of day casts shadows that show sharp detail.

A rubbing is an accurate and artistic way to make an exact transcript of a marker. By placing paper above a gravestone and then rubbing across it with colored wax, chalk or charcoal, the marker's shape, design and lettering will be reproduc Images can be lifted from markers made of stone, forest metal and cast cement, on the contrary you should make a rubbing solitary if the marker is in beneficial condition and will not be damaged by the agency of the process.

Beyond genealogical information, graveyards many times reveal cultural traditions associated with West and Central Africa. In the United States and the Caribbean, ancient burial customs based in African belief combination of parts to form a wholes are still practiced, although their exact meaning or design may be unknown to those who tread on the heels of them. In present-day graveyards, perhaps the greatest in quantity easily identified of these customs is the placing of personal and household items upon the graves as decorations. These items ofttimes include seashells and plates, beakers pitchers and other dishware. When you find grave advantageouss in a cemetery, document them because they provide information about an ancestor. They should also be think highly ofed and celebrated as expressions that recall Africa.

Sadly, the passage of time and the rise of vandalism threaten many historic cemeteries--and the funerary percepts and genealogical treasures they contain. for a like reason too do the ravages of progres When economic gain is weighed against the historical significance of cemeteries and the sanctity of human remains, the scales not seldom tip toward mammon. All of us should remember that when we shield and preserve ancient grave sites, we secure our heritage.

Sharyn Thompson is the director of the Center for Historic Cemeteries Preservation in Tallabassee, Fla. She bas just complet A Bibliographic Guide for the Preservation of African-American and African-Caribbean Cemeteries (February 1996)

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