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Information etched into tombstones especially the dates, can be inaccurate. Many old private and family cemeteries have been neglected, especially in cases where relatives of the deceased no longer own the property. You may have to search through thick foliage to find a burial site and then scrape away years of accumulated dirt and moss to read a tombstone inscription. Take a long stick or pole to probe for buried tombstones. |
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Cemeteries have long been the target of vandals who find pleasure in overturning and breaking tombstones. If family members don't provide replacements, the broken stones may be removed eventually. Check behind buildings or in distant corners of the cemetery to see if damaged tombstones have been piled there. |
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Sometimes monument (tombstone) makers, generally located nearby, keep a record of the stones they carve and can give you a copy of the inscription. |
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When very old tombstones are too hard to read, you may be tempted to place paper over the stone and rub dark chalk or a crayon over the surface of the paper to read the inscription. To prevent damaging the markers permanently, preservationists strongly urge researchers not to make tombstone rubbings! |
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Thousands of old cemeteries have been inventoried and their
tombstone inscriptions have been transcribed for publication.
Photograph the tombstone and use the publication to decipher the
inscription.
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