In a message dated 98-10-16 17:47:48 EDT, you write:
<< I second your response- but I do wonder how complete the stone surveys
are, since I could not locate my great-grandmother.
>
Hi, Paul ...
My quess is that the people who recorded the tombstone inscriptions did as
thorough a job as they were able. Many of the older stones were sandstone so
on some the names and dates have been worn away by years of weathering,
rendering them unreadable. Some have been broken by vandals and/or time. And
I personally know of at least 2 smaller stones that have simply sunk into the
ground.
And then, of course, sometimes our ancestors aren't buried where we think they
should have been. I've been surprised where I've found some of mine.
I am so thankful to the people who spent a great deal of time and effort to
record the inscriptions from the stones in so many cemeteries. I know I found
some of my ancestors only after checking the books ... even though I'd walked
the cemeteries a number of times. You'd be surprised (I was) at how many
times you can walk past someone you are looking for without even seeing their
stone. Uggg.
Anyway, hope this explains well enough why some of the people we might be
looking for aren't in the records. I do have names of some places that might
have the original cemetery records if anyone is interested. But have not had
the time to check any of the sources myself.
Sue Sablic
Indiana
Sablics(a)aol.com