Locations of graves within a cemetery can hold clues as to possible relationships among people buried in relative proximity to each other. Don't just record names of burials and make a "list" of who is in the same cemetery. Proximity can be a clue, make certain you include a map showing geographic proximity and relative position of burials.
When recording grave locations,in addition to the name, dates, etc., state the relationships between the deceased persons in the cemetery. Such as "Jane Smith, husband of John Smith and daughter of Tom and Linda Jones." I've done this for my relatives buried in our church cemetery.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't hurt to have GPS coordinates, too.
I find this to be a good idea in small cemeteries but in large ones you can go to the office and request maps of the cemetery layout which they kindly offer for free. These maps give a complete layout of the cemetery and roadways within and lot number locations. I will mark plots on the map in blue for paternal lines and include name and death date, red for maternal lines. This gives an overall to the whole map when opened up fully and you can go back to the map when you find more relatives to add.
ReplyDeleteI do use GPS in addition to my maps, ID's, etc. There are just too many in my branches that do not have monuments. I do this for other so that they can use the coordinates to find the exact spot. It's always appreciated and adds a little fun for my husband to keep him interested on those buggy days.
ReplyDelete