The Family Tree Cemetery Field Guide

Neighbors, Joy. The Family Tree Cemetery Field Guide: How to Find, Record & Preserve Your Ancestors' Graves. Cincinnati: Family Tree Books, 2017.

Journalist Joy Neighbors turns her attention to cemeteries for this title. Neighbors provides rudimentary information on abbreviations and symbols often depicted on markers. She discusses the materials from which markers are made. She provides tips to prepare for a graveyard visit and for photographing stones. These tips include cautions about ways genealogists and others tried to make stones more legible in the past and their harmfulness. She included information on Billion Graves and Find A Grave. The book's organization did not work well for me. Some topics seemed to be treated in sections scattered throughout the book. She introduced topics and then said, "We'll talk about that later." It is unfortunate the book went to press when it did instead of waiting just a few more months. She included information on locating cemetery deeds and types of cemeteries as well. The content is already dated due to Find A Grave's web site redesign. She included multiple screenshots which bear little resemblance to what users are now seeing. A note about the pending redesign was included, and she mentioned the "beta" site was now available. It seems screen shots should have been captured from the beta rather than the "old" version. Sentences felt "choppy" to me. At times I felt the author was "talking down" to readers. In an effort to make her content fill more pages, the author added related content such as death certificates, funeral home records, and obituaries. However, she didn't stop there but went on to include a section on basic genealogical research with checklists. This information, while possibly helpful to a beginner, was unnecessary to meet the book's purpose and wastes paper and the consumer's money, since the purchaser pays for those extra pages. She omitted grave markers made from pottery in her discussion of marker types. These are popular in some parts of the South. They tend to break at the base, but they remain quite readable. Many of the checklists and forms in the book are useful to genealogists, but a similar form can usually be found freely available on the internet. While the book is useful to some beginning researchers, most intermediate and experienced researchers would be better served by purchasing  Douglas Keister's Stories in Stones or Forever Dixie and picking up information on preservation and other topics via articles in Family Tree Magazine, Your Genealogy Today, or on a blog post. The publisher provided an electronic galley of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Invisible by Lorena McCourtney

Ivy Malone is an elderly woman whose best friend dies. Her best friend rents an apartment to a young woman going by the name of Kendra. When Kendra disappears and a body is found matching her description, Ivy comes forward to identify the body. The woman had been using the identity of someone deceased. Ivy is not satisfied that the police are being thorough and sets out to investigate. There were parts of this story I enjoyed. The opening chapter has Ivy and her best friend in a cemetery and appalled by the vandalism that had taken place there. Having seen cemeteries in this condition, I can completely identify with the outrage. Ivy, however, has some neighbors who are obsessed with genealogy. Unfortunately the author seems to be making fun of their avocation. Genealogical research is not pictured in a favorable light, and the author's unfamiliarity with professional genealogical standards is quite apparent. This is a minor plot line, but it marred my enjoyment of the book. There is a problem with believability. I really cannot picture an elderly woman such as Ivy crouching all night in a cemetery behind tombstones hiding out or being willing to do so. There are also other things that just do not seem that plausible. Ivy is a likable sleuth. This is a work of Christian fiction, and at times I felt that the author was being evangelistic rather than allowing testimonies to take a natural course. All this said, Ivy is likeable, as is one of the detectives, and I would probably read the second book if it is offered as a free Kindle download as this first one was. 2.5 stars.

Is Your Organization at Risk of Losing Its Tax-Exempt Status?

I saw an article on one of the local television station web sites that was encouraging people to check the IRS list of organizations at risk of losing their tax-exempt status to make sure that theirs was not listed. I'm not sure what types of organizations that I expected to see on the list as I clicked one state, but I was alarmed at what I did see. There are many historical societies, Friends of the Library organizations, cemetery associations, fraaternal organizations, and DAR chapters among those in danger. According to the IRS site, "Tax-exempt organizations that do not satisfy annual filing requirements for three consecutive years automatically lose their tax-exempt status. The IRS is providing one-time relief for such organizations that have filing due dates on or after May 17 and before October 15, 2010. The list includes organizations for which the IRS does not have a record of a required annual filing for 2007 and 2008, and whose 2009 return, due on or after May 17 and before October 15, 2010, has not yet been received." PLEASE CHECK to make sure that organizations with which you are affiliated are not included on the list. There is a PDF or Excel file available for each state.

Camera Found in Lamar Co., Ala.

A camera was recently found in Lamar County, Alabama on Matthews Road near Vernon. The camera was smashed, but the card is still readable and contains many photographs taken in cemeteries. If you are the owner, please contact the Lamar County Genealogical & Historical Society.

Discovering a New Web Site Today

First of all, let me say that this is my 1000th blog post! I never dreamed that my 1000th blog post would be about a Web site and how I discovered it, but here it is!

As I was driving home from church today, I got behind a SUV (or it may have been a mini-van -- I honestly don't remember) that had a most unusual back window. Sprawled across the back of it was a URL, a huge tree, and 4 gravestones. The gravestones are enough to catch the attention of almost any genealogist. [The four markers on the back of the window contained 3 men who are dead and whose bones remain interred and One who only needed a borrowed tomb for a short period of time before He rose again! He wasn't there long enough to have a marker.]

Naturally, I had to check out the Web site when I got home. It is called GraveSiteGenealogy.com and is a cemetery photographing project. It presently offers photographs of 205 cemeteries in six states -- California, Georgia, Idaho, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. From the FAQ, it appears that they are charging for the site but will be providing free access at Family History Centers and to persons who submit headstone photos. What they call "core information" will be free even though there would be a charge for viewing the photos. I'm really not sure that a fee-charging cemetery photo site will be around for long when there are other places online where persons may view photos for free. I did look at one photo, and the quality of the image did not appear to be high enough for me to want to pay to access others.

I really don't know much about the site or the persons operating it other than the fact that they were driving down Highway 11E in front of me today. The site really appears to have been neglected recently as the most up-to-date note on the progress blog is over a year old.

"Graveyard Sirens" by Guy de Maupassant

I recently was cataloging a book of short stories by Guy de Maupassant. I remember reading a couple of his short stories in high school--"The Necklace" and "A Piece of String." One of the stories I encountered was entitled "Graveyard Sirens." In this story, the storyteller is relating a visit to Montmartre. I just want to share a few of the author's words.

. . . Now, I have always liked cemeteries because they sadden and rest me; and I need that influence at times. Besides, many of my friends are laid to rest there, and I go to see them once in a while. . . .

I like graveyards because they are such immense, densely populated cities. Just think of all the bodies buried in that small space, of the countless generations of Parisians laid there forever, eternally entombed in the little vaults of their little graves marked by a cross or a stone, while the living -- fools that they are! -- take up so much room and make such a fuss.

Cemeteries have some monuments quite as interesting as those to be seen in the museums. . . .

I walked slowly along the alleys of graves where neighbors no longer visit, no longer sleep togehter, nor read the papers. I began reading the epitaphs. There is nothing more amusing in the world. Labiche and Meilhac have never made me laugh as much as some of these tombstone inscriptions. I tell you these crosses and marble slaves on which the relatives of the dead have poured out their regrets and their wishes for the happiness of the departed, their hopes of reunion -- the hypocrites! -- make better reading than Balzac's funniest tales! But waht I love in Montmartre are the abandoned plots filled with yewtrees and cypress, the resting-place of those departed long ago. However, the green trees nourished by the bodies will soon be felled to make room for those that have recently passed away, whose graves will be there, under little marble slabs. . . .

How many of us have had similar stories in our graveyard visits? I know that I've encountered some humorous epitaphs and curious wordings on markers. Many of us have similar feelings about the restfulness of cemeteries. The full collection of short stories is available at Google Books. A Google search for the short story and author will bring up this result for you. The story begins on page 311 of the 10-volume-in-1 edition published in 1903 by Walter J. Black.

By the way, there is also an interesting story entitled "The Will" on pages 562-565.

Source: "Graveyard Sirens, in The Complete Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant. Ten volumes in one. New York: Walter J. Black, 1903, pp. 311-316.

Boston Diary - June 13, Part 2

The waterfront with Bunker Hill Monument (on Breeds Hill, of course) in the background.
This bird was posing for me!
"Old Ironsides," the U.S.S. Constitution. I did go aboard today.

I walked back across the bridge to Hanover Street. I decided to try a different Italian restaurant, but I picked the wrong one. I chose the Florentine Cafe because it was charming with the window boxes of flowers. Inside the Italians were all watching the soccer game on ESPN. Somehow the sports atmosphere ruined the charm of the flowers.
I wanted something with a marinara sauce. Since the only thing on the menu I saw with this type of sauce was spaghetti and meatballs, that's what I ordered. This is after I cut up the meatballs. I wish that I'd gone back to Giacomo's. I'd rate Giacomo's 5/5 and I'd rate the Florentine 3/5 on taste. Not to despair though. Mike's Pastry was nearby so I had my final cannoli of this trip. I wonder if they'd like to put in a branch in East Tennessee? I'm really going to miss Mike's!
The produce looked good!
I also went to King's Chapel Burial Ground.

Gov. Winthrop is one of its most famous burials!
Overview of cemetery.
My last stop (because my feet were too tired to go on much longer) was the Brattle Book Shop, a renowned antiquarian book dealer. I browsed the local history and genealogy sections, but I didn't purchase anything because I don't have room in the luggage for more books! (I'd already found some nice books on the burying grounds in the book section of a gift shop early. Those were the only ones I could make fit!)
Since my feet were "dropping," I decided it was time to take the T back to Quincy and call the hotel for the shuttle. I came back and was saddened to hear of Tim Russert's death. Someone in the NBC news family will have big shoes to fill.

Boston Diary - June 10

Today was the first full day of conference. After breakfast at the hotel, we arrived on campus where we attended devotions and then the first keynote address by Dr. Em Claire Knowles of Simmons. After that, we had a business session, then lunch on campus (pizza), and our first round of presentations. Since I'm primarily in technical services, I went to the cataloging roundtable. After that we had "professional tours." I had signed up for "make your own tour." We went to the Boston Public Garden, Boston Common, and Old Granary Burial Ground rather than touring one of the libraries of the area.

Here are some gorgeous purple flowers that are in the public gardens. They look like oversized purple dandelions but they don't seem to blow quite like the dandelions.

Guess who was swimming?
The ugly duckling became a beautiful swan!
On the common is a tribute to football!
The frog pond with part of the city in the background.
This is the Tremont Temple.
A close-up of the top of Tremont Temple.
Old Granary Burial Ground. It dates back to 1660. This is just one of the gates.
One side of the ground.
Memorial to victims of the Boston Massacre, including Crispus Attucks.
John Hancock.

Paul Revere.
Paul's wife, Sarah Revere.
Mother Goose.
Samuel Adams.
I'm grateful to Charles Ewer for founding New England Historic Genealogical Society.

Ben Franklin's parents.
You just never know when you'll run into some other librarians in an old cemetery!


The spire of the Park Street Church (Congregational).

A view down Park Street.
We came back to Braintree and ate at Legal Seafood. This is the Summer Cape Cod dinner feature. It had lobster, scrod, smoked applewood bacon, and a corn sauce that had tomatoes. YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Dessert was Boston Creme Pie!

Bahamas: A Cemetery

This was near the beach where the bonfire is held. We were told that it is a cemetery where only one person was buried. The tour guide did not tell us whose grave it was.

Do You Have Taphophilia?

Dictionary.com defines taphophilia as "a love of funerals, graves, cemeteries." It is derived from the Greek words ταφος (grave) and φιλος (love). In Lisa Rogak's book Stones and Bones of New England: A Guide to Unusual, Historic, and Otherwise Notable Cemeteries (Guilford, Conn.: Globe Pequot, 2004, p. ix), she identifies four reasons persons come to love cemeteries:

1. To learn about a town
2. Quite refuge in summer
3. The "feel of history"
4. To conduct genealogical research

I suppose that the first category of persons are those persons who are interested in regional history. They want to know about the town's early settlers and people. The second category would be the people who go to the garden-type cemeteries to enjoy a nice peaceful picnic. The third category are those who feel that they are getting in touch with the past by being around old tombstones. The fourth category is where most persons researching family history come into the picture although they can certainly enjoy the cemetery for the other three reasons as well.

There is probably a category that Rogak missed. There are persons who enjoy old cemeteries because of the art on the old gravestones. If you've ever read any of Sarah Stewart Taylor's mysteries, you are familiar with her sleuth who is an expert in funerary art.

I confess I have taphophilia. While some of my family members who don't share my interest may think it's a disease, I'm sure that most of the readers of this post will think I'm perfectly normal!

Church Graveyards

Russell D. Moore asks if we should miss them?

Vandalism Discovered

We were in the general area of the Hester Cemetery in Monroe County, Mississippi where my great grandparents and great-great grandparents are buried today so we decided to stop and see if the new fence had been erected. There's an old fence there, but family members had collected money to have a new one installed. It was obvious as we drove up that the old fence was still there, but I told Mom and Dad that I was going to walk in anyway. I wasn't quite prepared for what I discovered. All of the pottery markers were broken, and most were not even there now. Two of the sturdier monuments had been toppled off their base. Some of the older granite markers were broken that had been intact the last time I visited. When we got back to my parents' house, we called the cemetery's caretaker and asked whether or not he was aware of what we had seen. He was not. I hope that he called the sheriff's department to report the vandalism. When I get back home tomorrow, I plan to dig out my sketch of the cemetery and the photos or the CD of photos that I had taken so that we can do some comparisons. I will send the photos to the sheriff's department, if needed. I hope that the vandals are caught, but I have no idea how long they had been this way. I was pretty upset when I made the discovery. Mom came on out and walked around with me.

The Vacationing Genealogist

What do genealogists do on vacations? I'd never really given it much thought until I saw a message to a mailing list by a genealogist today who stated that he was going on vacation. He specified that there would be "no libraries, no courthouses, and no cemeteries." That got me to thinking. When is the last time I took a vacation that met all three of those criteria? I think the answer is "before I started researching the family history."

First of all, I'm a librarian. I love books, and I love to see what other libraries look like. I also like to go in and browse the history and genealogy shelves. If I haven't taken my laptop along on a trip, I may go in to use a computer to check email. (I'll admit that I haven't done this much since wireless has become widely available, but I have done it in the past.)

Courthouses. While I'm slightly less likely to visit a courthouse than a library or cemetery, I have visited courthouses either along the way or near my destination on probably 75% of my vacations of recent years.

Cemeteries. I honestly cannot think of a single vacation that I've been on where I haven't gone to at least one cemetery and probably more than one. They are like magnets. I like to go to them even if I know of no relations buried there. You can sometimes find unusual markers. If I've got a few minutes to spare, you're likely to find me stopping to check out the cemetery. I know a well-known genealogist who was speaking at the FGS conference in Boston in 2006. He had no New England ancestors of his own. While he was out walking around Boston, he found a stone in a cemetery he visited which interested him. (I think it was in Old Copps, but I don't remember for sure.) He went back and researched that individual and her family. I'm not the only genealogist who can't resist a cemetery visit!


In a couple of months, I'll be headed to the Bahamas for a few days. While I don't really have anything that I need to research while there (and my niece who is accompanying me would definitely not want to spend time researching since she's not into family history), I've already read about an historic cemetery that I want to visit. If we happen to see a library, I'm likely to go in just to say I was there and to see what the similarities and differences are between that country's libraries and ours.


In short, I just can't imagine a vacation void of libraries, courthouses, and cemeteries--at least not since I began researching the family history. Of course, those of us who work full-time, welcome the opportunity to use our vacations to further our research.

What about you? Do you visit libraries, courthouses, and cemeteries when you vacation?

Cemetery Visit Inspires Novel

Tom Wiley visited a cemetery near Meridian, Mississippi which inspired him to write The Angels of Lockhart. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal has an article/review talking about the author's inspiration and giving a brief summary of the book. It sounds like a "must read" for family historians.

Another Incident of Cemetery Vandalism

It's always sad to read about vandalism in cemeteries. This one happened in the Cincinnati community of West Price Hill. About 40 headstones in a Jewish cemetery there were toppled. The article states that some were "pulled from their foundations." The good news is that the stones were not destroyed and the damage can be repaired, but you are left wondering who would do such a thing and why.

Finding Unmarked Graves

This article was in last week's Amory Advertiser. It tells of Emory Morgan and his success in finding unmarked graves. He can even determine the sex of the deceased. [Apparently the article ran in the sister paper The Aberdeen Examiner since that's the byline.]

OOPS - I missed a post somewhere! - Christmas and Deceased Relatives

Did your family visit the cemetery at Christmas? How did your family honor deceased family members at Christmas?

I can honestly say that I don't think we visited the cemetery at Christmas until I started genealogical research. Now, I usually visit cemeteries on my Christmas break. Why? Because the snakes are hibernating! It's the best time to visit them.

I don't think we had a special way of honoring family members although it was always sad on the first Christmas without someone we were used to have being around.

Mystery Series Discovered

I went to McKays, a great used bookstore in Knoxville, yesterday. As I was browsing through the mysteries, the cemetery on a cover caught my eye. Now, we all know that no genealogist can resist a cemetery. I decided to pick up the book and read the "blurb". I discovered that the series was set in New England and features an expert in "funerary art" which basically means that the main character loves graveyards and gravestones as much as a genealogist. This book was the 2nd in the series. I browsed the shelves and located the 3rd in the series. I had to go home and order the 1st in the series from Amazon.com. I also discovered there is a 4th book in the series, but I decided to wait on purchasing it. If I'm lucky, McKays will get the paperback in by the time I'm ready to read it. The author of the series is Sarah Stewart Taylor.

O'Artful Death is the first book in the series and has a Vermont setting.

This is the one that caught my eye. The featured cemetery is Boston's Mount Auburn Cemetery.

The 3rd book in the series has a Concord, Massachusetts setting.

This one is supposed to have a Boston setting as well.

I'm looking forward to trying out this series, and I hope that I'm right about how good it looks, especially since I've already invested in the first three books. The reviews look good!