How to Search for a Grave

Find a grave using a variety of sources, both online and off.

If you are looking for the final resting place of a long lost relative or perhaps a beloved celebrity or notable, uncovering the exact location of a grave site can prove a bit of a challenge. Obviously the more information you have, the better your research possibilities. Fortunately there are many websites available on which to begin your search even with minimal information. From there you can uncover other records depending on the person you seek.

Things You'll Need

• Name of the deceased

Instructions

1. Ask the surviving loved ones if the grave you are seeking is not of a notable or famous person that you don't know. If they don't know the exact location, they may have kept funeral materials that would include that information.

2. Go online. This option works particularly well when the grave you are seeking is of a famous person. Find-a-Grave (findagrave.com) offers thousands of locations for deceased notables, as well as non-famous individuals.

3. Investigate the newspaper archives, either online or at local libraries, for obituaries of the deceased. This can contain the burial information.

4. Check official records. Government resources like the Department of Veterans Affairs (gravelocator.cem.va.gov) list who is buried in national cemeteries so you can pinpoint the graves of veterans.

5. Don't stop at online sources. Call the cemeteries to verify if the person you're seeking is actually buried there before you make any long trips to investigate for yourself.

6. Stop in the cemetery office when you arrive. They can provide you a map to the exact location of the grave.

Tips & Warnings

• Some celebrities or notables are in graves that are not accessible to the public. Be sure to ask when you call ahead to verify.

References

• Find a Grave
• Department of Veterans Affairs: Grave Locator
• Historical Albion Michigan: Find a Numistmatic Grave