Everyone,
This is very long, but it's the most comprehensive guide I've
found for surveying cemeteries and offers good advice even if
you're just searching for/recording your own ancestors'
tombstones. It was written by Susan Swisher and shared by
a member of my Richmond/Scotland NC e-mail list.
Nancy Brister, reseaching:
McCormick/Carmichael/Dawkins/Warren/Doty
Garrett/Stringer/Cain/Jackson/Garmon
The South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society,
located in South Holland, Illinois, has guidelines it uses to train
volunteers (other groups may do things differently). While these
guidelines were formulated for a group reading, they can be
adapted to individual research.
Safety at the Cemetery:
CAUTION: Do not go alone. Let someone know you whereabouts
and time of return. Have a cell phone or other means of calling for
help. Check in at the cemetery office. You may:
Fall into an abandoned well
Step in a hole and sprain an ankle
Be bitten by a snake or insect, or have a medical emergency
Have a heavy, unstable stone topple on you
Become locked in the cemetery when the caretaker leaves
Have a dead car battery (this happened to me)
Fall victim to unsavory characters
Preliminary Survey. If possible, the project leader calls or visits the
cemetery to ascertain the proper name and location of cemetery and
precise directions; location of office, sexton, association, church, and
existing records; previous transcription, when, whether published,
and whether by alphabetical listing only; location of nearest restroom
facilities, pay phone, and water source; cemetery layout & preliminary
map. (Cemetery records may show burials by row, plot, or section.
Reading row-by-row makes it easier to follow finished transcription.
Supplies:
Clipboard: 8.5x11-inch lined paper - yellow legal pads reduce glare
from the sun; pen or pencil; hand trowel; whisk broom; plastic bag;
shaving cream & squeegee); paper towels; and a prod - #5 knitting
needle is good.
In addition, the following optional supplies are helpful. Plastic pail
for carrying the above; fanny pack for carrying change, keys, wallet &
pencils; camera and film for photographing stones; tracing materials -
butcher paper, rice paper or nonfusible interfacing, available in fabric
stores; charcoal or chalk; and tape to hold the material to the stone;
books & articles are available on how to trace stones; squirt bottle of
water and vinegar mixture; flag markers (the kind used by utility
companies to mark underground pipes or cables; these help keep
track of the row. Try your local soil conservation office or utility
company if you wish to buy some). Copying Markers:
1. Print clearly, someone else will be typing from your record.
2. Be consistent in the method of copying. The whole group should
copy the stones in the same way. Read the rows in one direction only
beginning at the same end of each section.
3. Put your name, date and telephone number on the first page. Note
section name. Number each page. Number each row. Number each
stone (note each inscription on the stone) and each base if there is no
stone. Leave a blank line between each stone.
4. Spell the name exactly as it appears on the stone, not the way you
think it should be spelled. Inscriptions often have mistakes.
5. Copy exactly line for line everything on the stone. DO NOT
ABBREVIATE. Copy all epitaphs, poems, lodge insignia, military
information, the presence of photographs, crosses, stars, unusual
markings, and the monument maker's name or company. Copy names,
dates, etc. for persons who have not yet died. If the date appears as
1900- (dash), make a box for the missing date, or state that the death
date is missing. If a date or letter is unclear, underline it or use the ?,
( ), or [ ]. For foreign language stones, don't translate the inscription;
copy it exactly. If you know what it says make a separate reading of
your translation
6. Dates are very important. On old stones, make absolutely sure you
have read the number correctly. Be careful of: 8 and 3, 4 and 7, 5 & 3,
1 and 7. If a stone is complicated, make a drawing of it. If you can't
read the stone, number it and state that you can't read it, but first try
shaving cream. Put the plastic bag on your hand; squirt shaving cream
either into your hand or directly on the stone; rub cream all over the
stone, squeegee the stone in one direction over the inscription. If the
stone is large, you may want to do parts at a time since the cream will
dry quickly on a hot day. If the inscription is not clear, apply the cream
again, and squeegee in another direction. Some information may still
be illegible, but you may get part of a name or date that you couldn't
read with the "naked eye." If the stone is shiny granite, shaving cream
in the inscription allows the stone to photograph much better. Sinc
the cream does not harm the stone, and water or rain washes any
excess cream away, this method is safe.
7. Be consistent in your route down the rows. Read in one direction
only. (Check all sides of the stone and around the base. Many stones
have four sides with names on each site. Many stones have different
names on the front and back. Mark which side contains which names,
for example, "JONES" on E. side, "ADAMS" on W. side).
8. Be alert for markers laid flat and recessed in the ground. Grass and
leaves can easily cover such markers. Use the prod, trowel and whisk
broom. Be careful not to damage the marker. (Note on your sheet if
the marker is laid flat. Many cemeteries are now doing this to aid in
mowing the lawn. However, any inscription that is not on the exposed
side will not be visible. The "laid flat" notation will alert those who
read the transcription to a possibility of additional buried inscription
on the stone. If markers are in a pile/placed against a tree, note this
also to show the marker has been moved from the burial site; don't
put them where you think they belong. The transcribed papers are
typed into a computer. The computer printout is checked against the
transcription sheets; an index, map, short history of the cemetery, &
a list of those who assisted in the project is usually added. The
reading is published alone or in the society's quarterly.
Linda Herrick Swisher has served on the board for the the South
Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society, located in So. Holland,
Illinois. She is a community educator for a home-healthcare agency.