How to Find Ancestors in a Cemetery
Genealogy is a growing area of interest for many Americans, and cemeteries are great resources. A cemetery can provide records of family members you know about, and lead you to find relatives that were previously unknown to you.
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Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Pen
- Camera
- Phonebook (for cemetery or funeral home contact information)
Instructions
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Cemetery Unknown
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1
Check funeral or condolence cards to identify the cemetery where your relative was interred. Often the name of the funeral home is included on the back of the card. Using this name, check the phone book, and call the funeral home for details on where your relative was buried.
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2
Look for cemeteries founded by specific religious or fraternal organizations. If your family is Catholic, find out if the city has a Catholic cemetery. If your relative was a Mason, look for a Masonic cemetery.
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3
Ask other family members if they recall where burials of relatives occurred. Families, especially ones with multi-generational ties to an area, will often have a family plot.
At the Cemetery
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4
Locate the cemetery office or contact the sexton prior to your visit. If the cemetery has a sexton, she can provide you with burial records of a known relative. Typically, the sexton can provide a map of the cemetery and point you to the location of your relative's grave.
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Follow the sexton's directions to the plot. When you get there, look around. It's likely that your relative is buried next to other relatives. Make note of any surnames on markers near your relative, and write them down for reference, including all birth/death dates. They could be family members related by marriage, and the surnames can help further your genealogical research.
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6
Take pictures of the plot. Sometimes looking at a collection of markers in wider group shots make familial connections more clear.
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Tips & Warnings
If you live far away from the cemetery your relatives are buried in, there are some websites that have interment listings by cemetery. They are included in the resources section. Note that these services are provided with records by volunteers and my not include every burial or cemetery in a county.
Many rural cemeteries don't have sextons or burial records, which means that you'll have to hunt for a marker yourself. Many burials sites, however, are not marked. You'll want to look for county death records instead. Older rural cemeteries may not be well maintained. If you are visiting, make sure you bring a friend, and be cautious of wildlife and natural hazards such as hornets nests and poison oak.
