the digital cemetery

Tombstone Tuesday: Walter and Betsy Cronkite - Follow Up

2010-07-02T20:47:00.000-06:00

Betsy Cronkite preceded her husband in death and was originally marked with the stone pictured below. This marker was removed when Mr. Cronkite's cremated remains were interred and the new joint marker placed.

Cronkite

Mary E. (Betsy) Maxwell

Jan. 25 Mar. 15

1916 2005

Walter and Betsy Cronkite

2010-04-03T20:27:00.003-06:00

I grew up listening to Walter Cronkite and the news will never be the same without him. Cronkite's creamated remains are interred with his wife in Mount Moriah and Freeman Cemetery in south Kansas City, MO. The marker for his wife, Betsy, who preceded him in death, was replaced with this new marker below.

Walter L. Jr.

Cronkite

November 4, 1916

July 17, 2009

Mary E. (Betsy)

Maxwell

January 25, 1916

March 15, 2005

Married March 30, 1940

May they rest in peace and be remembered fondly.

Tombstone Tuesday: Marble Masonic Mausoleum at Mt Moriah Cemetery

2009-09-29T19:05:00.006-06:00

Mount Moriah & Freeman Funeral Home and Cemetery, located in southern Kansas City, was established in 1922 to serve Freemasons and their families. See more in this quick flickr picture show: http://bit.ly/Qty8f

The cemetery includes several Masonic features, including a massive marble mausoleum.

The mausoleum has two levels. At the entrance, on the second level is the Temple meeting room.

The dedication plaque inside mausoleum entrance reads:

Mount Moriah Temple

Dedicated May 1928

Robert E Peden - Architect

Grand Master seat in Temple meeting room.

The Lodge room contains many symbols and features reprentative of the Shriners, Masons, Scottish Rite, and Eastern Star. The meeting room is topped by a stepped pyramid ceiling with a skylight that is not visible externally from the ground.

Large and small ornate burial chambers predominate the Mausoleum.

The upper level wings are filled with large and small private burial chambers and ornate display niches. The lower level contains some burial chambers but its wings are more open halls and open rooms.

See more in this quick flickr picture show: http://bit.ly/Qty8f

Tombstone Tuesday: Humorous Marker For John A England

2009-07-07T00:02:00.000-06:00

Found in

Johnson County Memorial Gardens

11200 Metcalf Ave.

Overland Park, Johnson Co, Kansas

Sept. 14, 1938 - SEE YA!

It's True

Death & Taxes
John A. England

Wordless Wednesday: Our Son John

2009-06-24T20:01:00.003-06:00

Elmwood Cemetery

Kansas City, MO

BlackSheep Sunday: The Horse Thief

2009-06-21T12:04:00.002-06:00

In the West, stealing a horse was a hanging offense. Sometimes the horse thief was lynched on the spot where he was captured and other times the thief was brought into town, locked in jail, tried, convicted, and hanged at a scafford or hanging tree in town for all to witness.

When a horse thief was hanged where captured, they were often placed in an unmarked grave nearby, but when the thief was hanged in town they were normally buried in the local cemetery. Many times they were unmarked, with no one willing to order and pay for a permanent marker, and sometimes they had a temporary marker.

This particular horse thief was marked much later. While his name was unknown, his deed is remembered forever.

The Horse Thief

1898

New Santa Fe Cemetery

Kansas City, MO

BlackSheep Sunday: Jesse Woodson James and Family

2009-06-07T17:13:00.009-06:00

Jesse Woodson James, one of the most prolific outlaws of the west, grew up near the Kansas City area - near Liberty, Missouri. Jesse served Quantrell's Raiders, a guerrilla company of the Confederacy noted for burning and slaughtering a path to Leavenworth KS and and the burning of Leavenworth. After that James, with his brother Frank, the Younger brothers (3) and several others from Quantrell's Raiders formed the James-Younger gang.

The James gang is credited for many bloodbath robberies throughout the midwest. Eventually James was shot in the back of the head by Bob Ford. For this act, Bob Ford was labeled a coward and James was romanticized and became a legend.

Jesse has certainly not been left alone to rest in peace after death. Jesse was originally interred on the family farm in Clay County, Mo. For many years Frank James earned money by giving tours of the family farm and graveyard. Years later the family cemetery was moved to Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Kearney and the Clay Co Historical Society now provides tours of the James family farm.

After James was moved to Mt. Olivet, he was disinterred two more times to try to prove the person interred was actually James. The final disinterment resulted in DNA testing.

JAMES
Jesse W
Born Sept.5, 1847
Assassinated
April 3, 1882

Zerelda
Born July 21, 1845
Died Nov. 13, 1900

Confederate Military Stone
Jesse W James
Taylor's SQ
Quantrell's
Regt
CSA
Sep 5 1847
Apr 2 1882Marker in memory of Gould and Montgomery James, children of Jesse and Zarelda (interred elsewhere)

Zerelda Samuel
Jan. 29, 1825
Feb. 10, 1911
(mother of Jesse James)

Dr. Reuben Samuel
Jan. 12, 1829
Mar. 1, 1908
"At Rest"
(Jesse's mother's last husband)
Archie P. Samuel
Born July 26. 1866
Killed by a Bomb
Jan. 26,1875
(son of Reuben and Zerelda)

BlackSheep Sunday: Frank, brother of Jesse James

2009-05-31T00:38:00.008-06:00

Alexander Franklin "Frank" James, brother of the famed Jesse James, maintains a low profile even after death. Frank served the Confederacy in the Civil War, joined Quantrill's Raiders guerilla army, was member of the James-Younger gang and credited with many robberies.

JAMES
Alexander F.
1843 - 1915
Ann Ralston
1853 - 1944

Frank's peaceful view at the top of the hill now overlooks a new skate park.

Frank and his wife rest in the Hill family cemetery in Hill Park in Independence, Missouri.

This cemetery contains Adam Hill and some of his descendants. Frank's wife, Ann Ralston James, was Adam Hill's granddaughter through her mother, Mary Catherine Hill Ralston. Now maintained by Jackson County (MO) Parks and Recreation.

Kansas Korean War Memorial

2009-05-25T12:02:00.005-06:00

The Kansas Korean War Memorial, located at 119th and Lowell Streets in Overland Park, Johnson Co., Kansas honors those Kansans who served the Korean War. Also include pavers to honor veterans from any war and supporters.

See their website at http://www.koreanwarmemorial-opks.com

BlackSheep Sunday: Clell Miller, Notorious Outlaw

2009-05-24T08:27:00.004-06:00

Clell Miller was a Confederate and a notorious outlaw from Clay County, MO. He was a member of Quantrill's Raiders at the age of 14 and then the famed Jesse James Gang. Clell participated in many robberies - bank, train, stage, and home - and is credited for killing a number of people.

Clell was killed in a bank robbery in Northfield, MN, at the age of 26, and is interred in Muddy Fork Cemetery near Kearney in Clay County, MO. Clell is listed on the family stone and a new military stone has been added with Southern Cross of Honor and Quantrill's name misspelled.

PVT
Clelland D Miller
Quautrill's Company
CSA
Dec 15 1849
Sep 7 1876

The family monument lists three family members.

Clelland D. Miller
Sept. 7, 1876
Aged
26 Yrs. 8 Ms.
& 22 Ds.

Francis M. Miller

Died

Sept. 12, 1874

Aged

21 Yrs. 2 Ms.

& 2 Ds.

Moses W. Miller
Born
May 26, 1798.
Died
Jan. 3, 1879.

CSA Week: 1st Lt. Shepherd, Confederate States

2009-05-21T09:39:00.003-06:00

From Historic Lee's Summit Cemetery, Lee's Summit, MO.

SHEPHERD

George Washington

Jan. 5, 1840

Feb. 23, 1917

1st LT. Confederate States

Mary Jane Waters

July 4, 1856

July 15, 1935

Wordless Wednesday: CSA Week: John L. Holder

2009-05-20T09:22:00.003-06:00

Interred in historic New Santa Fe Cemetery, Kansas City, MO.

John L Holder
SERG CO A
9 BM MO Sharp Shooters
Confederate States Army
APR 28 1839 FEB 14 1910

Tombstone Tuesday: CSA Week: Confederate in Kansas

2009-05-19T09:25:00.005-06:00

Even though Kansas was a Free State, if you look hard you can find a few Confederates who lived out their lives and passed away just on the other side of the Bloody Border. Often their military affiliation was not marked or the term Confederate or CSA used.

Abbott

GeorgeW. Abbott

July 19, 1840.

Feb. 17, 1921.

Co. A. 6th Mo. Cav.

Docia C. Abbott

Dec. 22, 1842

July 30, 1924

This large granite marker bears the distinctive pointed top of the classic marble Confederate military tablet. The American Flag is under the point in place of the Southern Cross of Honor. His service is listed as the 6th MO Cavalry, but the reference to CSA is omitted.

CSA Week: Confederate Memorial Cemetery

2009-05-18T12:19:00.002-06:00

With Memorial Day coming up, this week I'd like to remember those who fought for the Confederate States of America in the Civil War.

What better way to start the week than a glimpse of Confederate Memorial Cemetery in Higgensville, Lafayette Co, MO.

A peaceful place to rest.

View of the Confederate Memorial from the entrance.

The Confederate Memorial, dated 1906.

A small view of a large cemetery.

BlackSheep Sunday: Bob Ford, The Man Who Shot Jesse James

2009-05-17T09:33:00.008-06:00

Robert Newton Ford, one-time member of the James gang, is remembered forever in history as the "coward who killed Jesse James."

History records that Bob Ford was born in 1862 near Richmond, in Ray County, MO. His grave marker, however, records his birth as 20 years earlier. Ford's last days were spent in Creede, Colorado, where he was gunned down by Edward O. Kelley and interred. Years later Bob's remains were removed to Richmond, MO, where he remains today.

Bob Ford
Dec. 8, 1841 - June 8, 1892
The Man Who Shot Jesse James

Richmond City Cemetery
Richmond, Ray County, MO

Sponsored by the International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists.

Wordless Wednesday: Capt. Ketchum, Chief of Delaware Nation

2009-05-13T10:03:00.003-06:00

White Church Delaware Indian Cemetery
Est. 1831
Kansas City, Wyandotte Co., Kansas

Delaware Nation

Captain Ketchum
1780 - 1857
Chief of Delawares 28 Yrs.

Capt. Ketchum
Chief of Delaware Nation
28 Years
A Member of the
Methodist Church
T P (?) South
22 Years
?? Born
1780
Died
July 11, 1857
(illegble)

See the Digital Cemetery for more of the Ketchums at White Church: http://bit.ly/pI6Q1

Tombstone Tuesday: Lone Pioneer Child

2009-05-11T23:03:00.008-06:00

This lone burial from years before Kansas became a state, now lies unnoticed beside a highway.

When K7 was built, the iron fence was erected to protect the marker.

Asa G.
Son of
F. M. and E. F. Smith
Born Nov. 15, 1856
Died Aug. 30, 1857

I often find flowers, toys, and other evidence of visitors.

In the summer the fenced in area fills in with growth.

See location and read more about this burial at
http://cemetery.cottonhills.com/cemindex.jsp?id=39

BlackSheep Sunday: The Younger Gang

2009-05-10T20:30:00.014-06:00

The Youngers
Lee's Summit Historic Cemetery
291 Hwy and SE 3rd St.
Lee's Summit, Jackson Co., MO

Individual Markers

Mother
Bursheba Fristoe
Younger
1816 - 1870

Robert Ewing
Younger
October 29, 1853
September 16, 1889

James H.
Younger
January 15, 1848
October 19, 1902

Cole
Younger
1844 - 1916
Rest in Peace
Our Dear Beloved

Confederate States of America Marker

Southern Cross of Honor
Captain

Cole Younger
Capt.
Quantrill's Co.

C. S. A.

Wordless Wednesday: Links to the Past

2009-05-06T21:12:00.004-06:00

Dorothy Dudley Reed

www.dorothy-reed.com

Aug. 21, 1930 Jan, 19, 2008

Johnson County Memorial Gardens

11200 Metcalf Ave.

Overland Park, Johnson Co., Kansas

Tombstone Tuesday: And Time Marches On

2009-04-28T01:05:00.015-06:00

Today I'm going to break format a bit and bring a different light to the Civil War section of Spring Hill Cemetery, Spring Hill, Johnson County, Kansas. Click the photos for a much larger view!

The Civil War section of the cemetery features a Civil War Memorial with the American Flag, and the soldiers laid out in two rows behind the memorial and bring images of the Kansas Infantry to mind.

In this normal look at the Memorial at the head of the section we can see it bears the message Rest Soldier Rest on the orb. The rectangular area directly beneath the orb is inscribed with a flag, above which reads The Flag They Fought For. The remainder of the message reads To the Memory Of // Our Unknown Dead. // They Sleep // On Southern Battlefields // And ‘Neath The Ocean Waves. The base acknowledges the donors as General Curtis Relief Corps. No. 29 // Dedicated May 30, 1897.

Many of the graves are marked with their original GAR Post stars and remind us of our old soldiers finally at ease.

The soldiers remain in their ranks for all time, marked by their marble Union tablets and armed with their badges of honor.

A Patriot at Rest

And Time Marches On

I hope you enjoyed this different view of this Civil War Memorial. These photos are digital IR and were shot using an infrared filter on the camera. This is the view a scorpion or a snake might have of the cemetery.

See more of Spring Hill cemetery including photo-index at the Ditigal Cemetery.

Leave me a message and let me know what you think!

Tombstone Tuesday: Sibley Cemetery at Ft. Osage

2009-04-06T22:47:00.003-06:00

The site for Fort Osage was recommended by Lewis and Clark on their early expedition along the Missouri River, and was later built under the direction of Clark at what is now Sibley, Jackson County, Missouri. The cemetery, located a short distance from the Fort, is one of the earliest cemeteries in this part of Missouri. It was used by the Fort for military personnel as well as by the civilians in the community that grew up around it.

The cemetery can be categorized as a "Customary" cemetery. The cemetery was not originally planned or platted. When the need occurred, individuals chose a spot and took care of their own, and as a result, while the graves are oriented eastward and are in family groupings, there is no real order to the cemetery.

As was common for the military, the soldiers were placed in unmarked mass graves. With no stone carvers available in the area, it is likely many of the earliest settler graves were not markedwith a gravestone. Many were likely marked with a stone, wooden cross, tree or other planting, or flowers. Those with some means would have had to mail order a stone, likely from the St. Louis area.

One of my favorite early markers at this cemetery is this marble scroll-top child's marker. The marker sits on a concrete base and features a lamb, a common symbol of innocence and youth usually associated with babies and small children.

Reading the inscription (below) we find this marker is, in fact, for a small child. As settlers new to the area, the surviving parents also felt it important to let those that follow know that this child was born in Utica, Mississippi, only two short years earlier.

Anna,
Daughter of
J.A. & A.E.Hollis
Born at Utica, Miss.
Aug. 5, 1854
Died Aug. 17, 1856

Tour Ft. Osage and Sibley Cemetery on Flickr: http://tinyurl.com/dbkv8r Click Show Info to see captions.

See the Digital Cemetery for more about Sibley Cemetery.

Unusual Monument Year Notation

2009-03-25T10:55:00.004-06:00

While indexing the cemeteries in Johnson County, Kansas, I ran into this unusual year notation using E. M. The full inscription reads:

John J. Bartlett
Born Feb 9, E. M. 344
Died May 19, E. M. 409

Bartlett's death notice in the local newspaper indicates he was born in Ohio, a local farmer, born 9 Feb 1844, died 19 May 1909.

Obviously E. M. represents 1500 years but what does it stand for and where does this notation come from?

I would love to know what E. M. means. If you have gravestones with this notation, or if you know what this stands for, please post!

Find Bartlett and more on the Digital Cemetery at http://cemetery.cottonhills.com/

The Cemetery Counts

2008-01-22T14:45:00.000-06:00

Indexing cemeteries provides great value to family members and genealogists searching for ancestors for obvious reasons and I’m sure you can all list the benefits. Similarly, studying the cemetery and analyzing the data collected can provide even more valuable insight into the community or family that uses the cemetery. As a cemetery mirrors those it supports, a cemetery study focuses on humanities, and can provide clues to socio-economic, climate, growth, illnesses, plagues, disasters, belief/value systems, history, technology, and linguistics. All of these things together help to provide context around the people and the silent city. This article focuses on a few examples of one phase of a cemetery study.

Running the Numbers

Cemetery transcriptions, or indexes, provide us with a great dataset to work with to begin to understand the growth pattern and longevity of the community, and provides clues to the environment.

Decade and Death Year Charts

One of the first types of analysis I like to perform is focused around the known death years. Using the power of Excel, I total the number of interments by gender for each year of the life of the cemetery, and subtotal by decade, and plot each in separate stacked area or line charts. Because you are limiting the data to just those records with legible death years where gender can be determined, it is important to note both the total number of interments and the sampling size.

The Decade chart provides a clear picture of the overall time-frame and growth trends of the cemetery.

Active cemeteries can extend this trend line to forecast and plan for the future. Cemeterians can gain insight from the bumps and dips in the line. Unusual spikes in the chart can indicate epidemics, war, or other disaster, and the lack of spikes is meaningful as well. A Death Year charts allows you to drill down to understand why a specific decade shows up as a peak or a valley. The decade may be filled with peaks and valleys or may be an elevated fairly flat level.

Age Charts

An Age Chart can also provide an interesting perspective to the population of the cemetery. To develop the data for an Age Chart, first gather the records that have the year of age inscribed on the stone, and then calculate the age in years for the remaining records that have both birth and death years. This will be a smaller subset of records so remember to take note of the sampling size.

I create age groupings like 0-4, 5-9, 10-19, etc. and compare the groups to the population mix in general by plotting the groups in a stacked area chart. This information can help you determine the make-up of the overall population. With some studies it is feasible to plot the age groups over time for an even greater level of context for a given point in time. A spike may show a large number of children, or men of a certain age during war time, or a broad mix, indicating disease or other community-wide disaster.

The Example Study

The charts used as examples in this article, along with detailed charts, are part of a study I conducted of a cemetery located in Johnson Co. Kansas. The cemetery contains a number of illegible, missing, and broken stones, resulting in 56 indexed records, 32 of which were included in this portion of the study.

The charts illustrate the early years of an 1860s pioneer community on the new Kansas prairie and indicate the pattern of a customary cemetery. The early years are marked by a high number of infant deaths, followed by the deaths of young mothers, providing hints to the harshness of life on the prairie. The community peaked in the late 1870s and known interments waned completely by 1890. The cemetery was dormant until a meager resurgence appeared in 1905. Further research revealed that the first formal cemetery association was formed in 1900 to manage sales and care of the cemetery. Burials climbed slowly through the 1910s and declined through 1939. The cemetery was dormant until the last interment in 1960, when the spouse of a prior burial joined her husband at rest.

Victorian Spirits in the Cemetery

2007-10-05T18:52:00.000-06:00

The Victorian Era (1837 - 1901) brought major changes to the way society viewed death, and this is demonstrated by their funerary practices and the clues they left behind in the cemeteries of this era.

Mortality remained high in the nineteenth century and largely affected the population's every day lives. The Victorian Era ushered in a period of superstition around death, and a rigid set of rules of etiquette for dealing with death, epitomized by Queen Victoria.

Typically a person fell ill and remained in the home, on death watch, until they passed. In the last days or hours of the head of a household's life, it was typical to send for a lawyer to draw up the will, witnessed by neighbors. When the person passed away, they remained in the home until time of burial.

If there was a clock in the home it was stopped at the time of death. Mirrors were covered with heavy black velvet drapes lest the spirit of the deceased should become trapped in the reflection.

The deceased was laid out in the parlor and all furniture was removed except for a couch and lamps, and the deceased was watched around the clock until burial by the family. Relatives and neighbors came by to view the deceased and the room filled with flowers. When the deceased was removed for burial it had to be carried out feet first to prevent the corpse from looking back into the house and calling others to follow.

Mourning was elevated to an art form in the Victorian Era, with two stages of mourning, deep- and half-mourning. This was complete with elaborate rituals, customs and rules of conduct for each stage of mourning.

When someone died in a household the entire house went into deep-mourning. The household would wear unadorned black clothing, underwear, handkerchiefs, and armbands, and jewelry was not permitted.At this time period, people made their own clothing, however as the need for proper black mourning apparel gave rise to the very first off-the-rack apparel. Those unable to afford ready-to-wear apparel dyed their entire wardrobe in large kettles in the back yard, which produced a unique and unpleasant odor.

A person stayed in deep-mourning for a prescribed period of time, depending upon their relationship to the deceased. A spouse was required to be in deep-mourning for one year and a child of the deceased for 6 months. It was believed that the spirit of the deceased attached itself to the spouse and if you looked into her eyes that spirit would attach to you, therefore a widow's face was veiled in public. Deep-mourning was followed by a similar period of half-mourning. Black was still the required dress during half-mourning, however black jewelry was allowed.
Victorian funerals were quite an elaborate and expensive affair. A funeral wagon was drawn by horses dyed black and adorned with black plumes for the occasion. Professional mourners, pall bearers, ushers, and a band were hired. The processional itself was parade-like with the family and friends walking behind the funeral wagon as neighbors came out with bowed heads to watch it pass by.

Prior to the Victorian Era, colonial cemeteries were rather bleak, and not always well cared for. Some, in fact, were very dangerous places with loosely filled or open graves in an east-west orientation.And gravestones were, for the most part, plain slabs etched with the decedent's name and phrases such as RIP. These cemeteries were rarely visited and greatly feared.
The Victorian Era ushered in a host of changes to traditional cemeteries. During this time period, the garden-style cemetery came into fashion. In many states it was law that new cemeteries had to be constructed outside of city or town limits for fear of disease. Elaborate garden-style cemeteries were designed with complex layout, circular areas with graves oriented in all directions, and elaborate statuary and landscaping to encourage visitors.

The simple portal-shaped gravestone grew into massive elaborate monuments to the dead.Family plots became popular, often seen with a centrally-located large shaft monument, usually marble or sandstone, topped with a lantern to light the path to the afterlife, surrounded by smaller gravestones to mark the location of the individual family members interred. These family plots often include curbing and a stepped entrance inscribed with the family surname.
During this period we also find tombstone engravings of elaborate funerary symbols embellished with religious statuary, and we begin to find Bible verses, organizational symbols, and personal inscriptions on gravestones that give us many clues to life, culture, and value system of the Victorians.

The mausoleum (private family cemeteries) became popular in the United States during this time period as well and we find many examples of elaborate mausolea with gated courtyard made of imported Carerra marble or granite.It was believed the bigger the monument, the better, and there was no worse or shameful fate than to be interred in an unmarked grave.
Superstition surrounding death was also evident in the cemetery. The Victorians were fearful of being buried alive and stories of coffins with fingernail scratches ran rampant. To address this fear, mortuaries, or Hospitals for the Dead came into fashion. There the deceased was kept in a hot environment for an extended period of time to encourage rapid decay and thus ensure there was no chance of awakening.

Various coffin alarms and safety coffins with escape methods were patented during this time. The standard coffin alarm consisted of a bell mounted to the headstone with a chain or rope attached to the limbs of the interred. Other alert mechanisms were used, such as flags, fireworks, and rockets to alert of movement below ground. Some coffins even came with a tube containing a ladder for escape. The coffin alarms were short-lived, however, as the bells and flags signaled the natural movement of the corpse during decomposition. See http://www.bpmlegal.com/wcoffin.html for a diagram of a coffin alarm patented in 1868.

Many of the elaborate gravestones and cemeteries of the Victorian period can be found in nearly every area of the United States.

Burial Grounds of Colonial America

2007-10-05T18:49:00.000-06:00

We can learn a lot about the life and values of our colonial and revolutionary ancestors by studying their cemeteries and gravestones. From the time of the earliest colonies until the mid-nineteenth century we can see the impact of death on their everyday lives, and the changes in their thoughts and fears surrounding life and death.

The Puritans
Many of our earliest settlers left for America in search of a home where they could practice their religion freely. Religious freedom was not tolerated, and those who did not conform to Catholicism were persecuted as heretics. The earliest Puritans who settled New England were driven to emigrate to the harsh wilderness of the new world with hopes of creating an idyllic society, firmly rooted in their religious beliefs and isolated from the influence of others.

These earliest settlers built small communes with modest dwellings clustered in a tight square enclosing a shared common area in the center. The Commons was planted with crops and cared for by all, to provide for the needs of the community. The community acted as one and each member was integral to its survival.

Early settlers were met with a very harsh environment. Weather, lack of food and supplies, disease, contaminated water, and hostile encounters with Native Americans all contributed to a high mortality rate in these tightly-clustered communities. The harshness of life, overwhelming fear of the unknown, and the grim reality of death drove these settlers to pray for their survival through their faith.

The communities in early New England sought the natural solace of the woods and hills for their burial grounds, where available, and rejected the practice of churchyard burials as a Papist influence. They chose sites hidden deep in the woods and thinned the trees and vegetation to provide a private and protected setting for their departed.

Early graveyards were dangerous and frightening places. The burial ground itself was devoid of grass or other plant life. Graves, hastily dug by hand in the cold and rocky New England soil, were shallow and unlined, and loosely filled at best. Graves were often left open in anticipation of more burials and boxes or coffins were not used.

Graves from this period were marked with both a headstone and a footstone, to resemble a bed, and it was during this time that we first see the now common east-west orientation of graves.

Local artisans used common rocks, slate, and marble as the raw material for the tombstones. Markers were shaped into upright tablets with rounded tops to represent a door or portal into the unknown, and the symbols carved into the stones reflected the community’s fears and hopes.

The most common symbol was the skeleton, skull or winged skull. Commonly known as death heads, the skulls represented the grim reaper and the finality of death. The most common epitaph was R. I. P. (Rest in Peace), reflective of the daily harshness of life. Other symbols evolved over time. An anchor, the emblem of a seaman, represented steadfastness; a bird came to symbolize the soul; a butterfly depicted resurrection; and a scallop shell represented the earthly Puritan pilgrimage.

The Revolutionary Colonists
In the early to mid-1700s, waves of new settlers to America brought with them the influences of their home land. Arrivals came in larger numbers and occurred more frequently. Trade developed to support the needs of the colonists and although the mortality rate remained high, the chances of survival of the communities increased.

Through these later arrivals we witness the influence of the Great Awakening, a religious revival movement that swept across Europe. The Great Awakening offered a more tolerant view of religion and the focus of daily life. God became a symbol of love and mercy, and society began to anticipate death as a reward for a pious life. And these colonists brought with them the traditional burial practices of churchyard burial grounds.

Unlike the Puritan burial grounds, the churchyard was not as dangerous and scary. Surrounding the church, they became part of the community and were seen as a daily reminder of family and friends and the finality of death. Burial grounds became the responsibility of the church sexton and were properly cared for and filled. The interred were often now placed in boxes or coffins, making the graves more stable. At time of loss, church elders gathered to dig and fill the graves of their congregation, and the graveyard became an extension of the church community.

The view that living a pious life would be rewarded after death gave rise to new tombstone icons that represented life that continues to grow. Symbols such as trees and flowers became prevalent, and this practice carried forward into the 19th century.

Gravestones of this time were primarily devoid of personal inscriptions, and they no longer carried the message of Rest In Peace. After the Revolution we begin to see the accomplishments of some of the more famous colonists reflected on their tombstones. The rank and service of some of our most noted Revolutionary soldiers may be found on some of these early gravestones.

Although the grave markers from this time typically give no clues to familial connections, as the small churchyards became over crowded, the practice of burying multiple family members in a single grave became more prevalent. We begin to find the stones of family members clustered together, and occasionally the layering of flat tomb coverings. Throughout the stages of American history, we can witness how the harshness of daily life became more tempered by the influx of colonists, improved chances of survival of the community, the more traditional influences of Europe, and with it the hope for a rewarding life after death.

Special thanks to Greta Thompson for her assistance with this article!

Unknown Cemetery 3 Vanishes Without a Trace

2007-03-12T19:19:00.001-06:00

Codename: Ensign Cemetery

Last Seen

SW quarter of Section 29, Township 13S, Range 25E, 6 PM
Oxford Township, Johnson County, Kansas

This cemetery was located near 110th and Lowell, just south of I435. The cemetery is alone in 1874, but in 1886 is shown with a church. Daniel Ensign owned several large tracts of adjoining land on both sides of Antioch Rd., including some of the current Corporate Woods land.

Visitation

Today this area has business buildings and parking lots and is near to the Farmers Insurance corporate headquarters seen from I435.

Maps

1874 Atlas, Johnson County, KS, Oxford Township, pg. 88 ( D Ensign )
1886 Atlas, Johnson County, KS, Oxford Township ( Daniel Ensign )

1874 Atlas
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1886 Atlas

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What type of cemetery is it?

2007-03-08T16:41:00.001-06:00

Cemeteries in the United States can be classified into several general types. These types aren't always mutually exclusive, and sometimes a cemetery transforms from one type to another over time.

Knowing the type of cemetery you are studying helps you to better understand the community, social, and possibly religious aspects of those interred within.

Public Cemetery

Public cemeteries are usually owned by a city, township, county, or some government entity and are open to the public for burials and for visitation.

Private Cemetery

Private cemeteries are usually owned by a corporation to make money. Modern private cemeteries are often restrictive in what may be placed at the grave and the type of markers allowed.

Church Cemetery

Church cemeteries are not always located at a church but are owned by a church. Church cemeteries are often open to the public for burial and visitation.

Family Cemetery

Family cemeteries are located on family-owned land when they are first started, and used to bury loved ones and friends. As they are on private land, and often not located near a road, they are not open to the public and permission is needed to visit the cemetery.

Lodge Cemetery

Lodge cemeteries are owned and operated by a fraternal organization or lodge, such as Knights of Pythias, Mason, and Odd Fellows. Lots at lodge cemeteries were offered at a low cost to members and their family and sometimes were open to the public at a higher cost.

Customary Cemetery

Customary cemeteries are those formed by a settlement or group of neighbors, with no real ownership or legal entity. Often times there is no sexton or maintenance - each family takes care of their own. Today these types of cemeteries are typically not legal.

Ethnic Cemetery

An ethnic cemetery is specialized to a particular ethnicity or sect, such as Quaker, or native Indian. These cemeteries are not open to public burial and are often not open to the public for visitation.

Mass Burials

Mass burials were common in times of disease or disaster. Other events that caused mass burials include the removal of old cemeteries to make way for growth.

What's new in 2007

2007-03-07T16:47:00.000-06:00

See the new digital cemetery site - the most up-to-date source of Johnson County KS cemetery indees - at http://cemetery.cottonhills.com Post your comments here and let me know what you think of it!

Thanks to the volunteer efforts of Richard Knabe, the old Pleasant Valley Cemetery in western Johnson County is under a transformation. Richard is cleaning up the cemetery and unearthhing fallen and grown over stones. Many of the stones that have been lost since the 1970s were found as well as a couple that were not previously recorded.

Pleasant View Cemetery has about 40 new entries - some previously missed and some new.

I made many corrections to the smaller indexed cemeteries by checking them against the Johnson County Cemetery Index from the 1970s and was able to identify a few stones that are almost completely illegible.

Thanks to volunteers Carol Rollins, Kim Baker, and Kathy Ross, there will soon be a lot of additions.

- De Soto Cemetery, Kathy Ross - indexed and doing final additions - almost there!
- Edgerton Cemetery, Kim Baker - indexed but many illegible stones require another visit
- Spring Hill, Carol Rollins, Kim Baker - half is published, but another quarter is indexed

Unknown Cemetery 2 Vanishes Without a Trace

2007-03-05T20:32:00.000-06:00

Codename: Starr Cemetery

Last Seen

NW quarter of Section 5, Township 15S, Range 22E, 6 PM
McCamish Township, Johnson County, Kansas

This cemetery is located along the old Trail near Edgerton. The cemetery is marked on Starr land on the atlas, so I call it Starr Cemetery just to have a better name than Unknown 2. There are members of the Starr family interred at Edgerton Cemetery.

The railroad, and later, Old 56 H cross this land in the approximate location of the cemetery.

Maps

1874 Atlas, Johnson County, KS, McCamish Township, pg. 60 ( J Starr )

1874 Atlas

Unknown Cemetery 1 Vanished Without a Trace

2006-10-26T11:32:00.000-06:00

Codename: Fenner Cemetery

Last Seen

NW quarter of Section 14, Township 12S, Range 21E, 6th PM
Lexington Township, Johnson County, Kansas

This cemetery was located on a lot that that is next to the Douglas/Johnson County line. The cemetery is marked on the 1874 and 1886 atlases. Peter Neis, of Eudora, is shown as the land owner on the 1886, 1902, and 1922 atlases, however the cemetery is not marked after 1886.

Visitation

The area where the cemetery was marked on the atlas is not viewable from the road.

Maps

1874 Atlas, Johnson County, KS, Lexington Township, pg. 94 ( J F Fenner )
1886 Atlas, Johnson County, KS, Lexingtion Township ( Peter Neis )

1874 Atlas

1886 Atlas

Preserving Cemeteries: USGS GNIS

2006-09-26T07:02:00.000-06:00

This is the first of a series of blogs about preserving cemeteries in ways you might not think of!

I just can’t take this alphabet soup!

For those that just have to know what each and every letter stands for, it’s the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Geographic Names Information System.

For those that don’t care about the fancy name, it’s a government database that tracks land-related features like rivers, mountains, populated places, churches, hospitals, and cemeteries, by a feature name, like river, mountain, populated place, etc. Check out the GNIS query page at http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/

What does GNIS have to do with preservation?

Well, they aren’t out at the cemetery pulling weeds up and cleaning stones, that’s for sure! But what they do is preserve the location information – forever. As some of the old cemeteries grow over and disappear, their exact location can be found again, no guess-work needed. And that is a very good way to help preserve the cemetery.

How hard is it to add to the GNIS?

You have to supply a lot of information to the GNIS, and that can be a bit of work. But the good news is, if you include everything, it’s possible to add and update via email without using that nasty form on the website! Here's the grocery list:

State and County
Feature Name = Cemetery
Feature ID (if making a correction)
Proper Name (as registered with the County)
Latitude / longitude of center of cemetery
Principle Meridian, Range, Township, Section, ¼
References and documentation

Not as hard as you think

I use a Garmin hand-held GPS and stand in the center of the cemetery to take a reading. That gives me the exact lat/lon in decimal format. One call to the County Clerk or Land and Tax office should get you the proper name, the Range, Twp, Section, and if it's an open cemetery, the name of the Association responsible.

Use the Genweb and Interment.net sites as a reference, along with your county, and any book references or websites and you should be good to go!

Once it’s done, it's it’s there forever! It's a small investment for a lasting benefit.

Happy Geocoding!

Digital Cemetery Project: What's New

2006-09-25T06:53:00.000-06:00

Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery

Well, we’re definitely making headway with Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery. Volunteer Carol Rollins sent me about 1600 of the near 2900 transcriptions. There were a number of stones that were difficult or illegible and I visited each one at the cemetery this weekend and gained a bit more of some of the inscriptions that are now so hard to make out.

After spending a good portion of Saturday trying to figure out what stones were in what Section/block./lot of the cemetery, we gave up. It just does not seem possible to make this determination looking at the cemetery and pacing off the graves. So in this transcription, while all of the Gardens and Gardens II additions will be marked to their blocks on the map, the front will only have the major section and a row number. This is best I can do without a lot of time-consuming help from the cemetery management.

I am hoping to have Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery published sometime later this week!

De Soto Cemetery

We are also already making good progress on De Soto Cemetery. This may end up being our best transcription yet, thanks to Kathy Ross at De Soto Cemetery. She is working hard to verify each record, and visiting the cemetery to unbury some of the stones that have sunken or washed over with mud and sod.

Go Kathy Go!!

King Indian Cemetery Missing Without a Trace

2006-09-23T19:31:00.000-06:00

Codename: (Matthew) King Cemetery

Last Seen

NW quarter of Section 35, Township 12S, Range 21E, 6 PM
Lexington Township, Johnson County, Kansas

This cemetery was located high on the Kaw bluff, overlooking Captain's Creek and the Weaver Bottoms in Douglas County, just south of the point where Captain's Creek flows into the Kaw River.

Johnson County

In 1859, the US granted a patent to Matthew King and family, of Douglas County, KS, for this land, and more, on both sides of the Douglas/Johnson County line. King, Treasurer to the Shawnee Tribe, fell from his horse and was killded in 1872. Upon his death the land was deeded to King's wife and children. The remmaining Kings sold their land shortly thereafter, and moved to Indian Territory with their fellow Shawnee. It is believed that Matthew King and other family members are buried here.

Douglas County

According to Eudora area residents who grew up on or near this land, the cemetery was located close to the bluff at the highest point. As children, these folks remember riding their horses in this area and seeing the old Indian cemetery. They describe the cemetery as being small, surrounded by an old wire fence, and completely overgrown. It was common knowledge at the time that this was an old Indian cemetery.

Site Visitation

On visiting the site, we discovered an old road leading up the side of the bluff to the top, a mortarless stone bridge, a natural rock outcropping with 3 man-made stone walls to enclose the area, and evidence of an early 1900s dump site. The dump site contained pieces of crockery, enamelware, and glass, including fragments of a Cod Liver Oil bottle, dated to around 1880. Small shards of both white and gray chert were found in one of the run-off beds at the top of the bluff, dating to prehistoric times.

Maps

The earliest aerial map found is from the USDA, dated 1959. At that time the land was cultivated and there was no indication of a cemetery.
All atlas maps show the cemetery marked as Indian Cemetery. The 1886 atlas shows a Kaw ferry crossing close to this site, and there are indications that this may have been a ferry site as early as the 1850s, though it is apparent the ferry did not operate all of this time.

1874 Atlas, Johnson County, KS, Lexington Township, pg. 94 ( Geo T Comings )
1886 Atlas, Johnson County, KS, Lexington Township ( F M Cory )
1902 Atlas, Johnson County, KS, Lexington Township, pg. 26 ( F M Cory )
1922 Atlas, Johnson County, KS, Lexington Township, pg. 36 ( F M Cory )

1874 Atlas

1886 Atlas

Character Markers?

2006-09-22T16:47:00.000-06:00

I have a couple of cute character markers I thought might be fun to share. I hope you enjoy them.

Smurf
Pleasant View Cemetery
Shawnee, Johnson County, Kansas

Raggedy Ann
Edgerton Cemetery
Edgerton, Johnson County, Kansas

Bear
De Soto Cemetery
De Soto, Johnson County, Kansas

Bear
De Soto Cemetery
De Soto, Johnson County, Kansas

Photographing for the Digital Cemetery Project

2006-09-21T07:09:00.000-06:00

The Camera

In order to successfully digitize a cemetery you will need a decent digital camera. The camera should be capable of taking print-quality photos at color 2048 X 1024 at 300dpi. The last number (300 dpi) is the most important part. At 300 dpi, the camera sees more than the human eye and often unreadable stones become more legible. These settings produce clear, easy to read photos that can be zoomed to a high magnification level as well as enable researchers’ access to printable photos. Each photo will be approximately ½ MB in size, so be sure to have a couple of large memory cards for your camera.

Before You Begin

The first step, before beginning to photograph, is to scope out the cemetery and get a feel for the physical layout, and determine a plan to proceed. It is important to begin each physical section from a known location (such as the NE corner) and to photograph row by row so that the path can be retraced later to check the stones, and to assist researchers in physically locating the stone at the cemetery.

Although it is not necessary to begin this way, I find it helpful to walk the row first to pull weeds away and sweep or dig out stones, and see what obstacles lay ahead. For me, if I can get everything ready, then the photographing itself goes very fast, but when I have to stop and clean a stone, my camera shuts off and I lose momentum and it seems to take a lot longer.

Photographing

In the cemeteries with older stones, there are usually family groupings or stones that are related. In these cases I like to take a group photo to be attached to each individual, to preserve that relationship.

In the more recent burials there are usually some couples headstones with a military plaque either attached to the back of the monument, or used as a footstone. It is best to get those with the headstone, and that is always my goal, but unfortunately is the thing I miss the most often. When I miss it, I get it in the next row, and I also retake the front of the stone to help me locate the previous entry when transcribing.

I often take photos of old stones from all sides, or at least all sides that appear to be inscribed, followed by close-ups of the inscriptions. This helps to provide clarity both when transcribing and to the researcher.

I try to take angle shots of stones that are difficult to read due to their condition or their coloration. Sometimes by getting almost a side shot the inscription will pop out. Sometimes it takes multiple angles to uncover the entire inscription. Another trick to help pop out the inscription is to use a mirror to reflect sunlight at the inscription and cast shadows in a different way than is natural.

Conventions

In order to help the transcription process, and to help track where I am in the cemetery, at the end of each row I take a photo of my index finger. That way, when transcribing I know when to increment the row number, and if I have to go back to the cemetery and look at one of the stones, I know where to find it.

Similarly, at the end of each physical section, I take a photograph of my hand splayed, often followed by some photos of the section from the location where I ended.

The World of the Cemetery Sexton

2006-09-20T11:06:00.000-06:00

In broad strokes, the role of a sexton is to take charge of, care for, and supervise the cemetery, under the direction of the Cemetery Board or other governing party. What does that really mean?

Opening and Closing Graves

One of the main functions of a sexton is to open and close graves for interments. In order to do that, the sexton must know where the plots are physically located in the cemetery, the dimensions of the plots, and which graves are filled, and it is the sexton’s responsibility not to disturb prior interments when opening graves. It would not be a good thing for the backhoe to hit another casket. In some cases this means that the sexton must use a Sexton’s Key to probe the ground and make certain the neighboring graves will not be disturbed.

Selling Plots

Another major function of a cemetery sexton is to be able to show prospective buyers available lots. That means that the sexton must not only keep up with what plots are filled, but also what lots are sold. The sale of a cemetery plot is pretty much like the sale of any real estate.

Placing Headstones

Similarly, once a headstone is shipped to the cemetery, it is the sexton’s responsibility to know where the monument is to be installed and direct the installation. In many cemeteries, it is also the sexton’s responsibility to notify the installers when the stone arrives.

Grounds Maintenance

The cemetery sexton is also responsible for the grounds, turf, and landscaping maintenance. This not only includes mowing, but also the upkeep of trees and plantings, the cemetery fence (if there is one), signage, and any memorial areas in the cemetery.

Rules and Regs

One of the least favorite jobs of a sexton is enforcing the cemetery rules and regulations. This includes when people can visit, conduct in the cemetery, and litter. Similarly most modern cemeteries have rules about what can be installed at a grave, and what can be placed at a grave. Some cemeteries do not allow planting at graves, holiday decorations, lighting, or other memorabilia, while other will allow some or all of these things. Many cemeteries have rules about live and even artificial flowers and post signage stating flowers will be removed on a certain date. This helps to keep the cemetery clean and fresh of pots of death flowers throughout the harsh winter.

It’s all about the Map

Modern cemeteries are typically platted out and every square inch is accounted for. The cemetery may be comprised of different lot layouts in different sections of the cemetery. There may be differing sizes of graves and usually some smaller crematory plots. A map is created and each grave is identified by some naming or numbering scheme, usually identifying sections, blocks, lots, and plots, and it is the job of the sexton to maintain this map. This map is essential in the ability to do their job.

Not a Mason

It may seem that the sexton has an obligation with regard to the maintenance of markers and monuments; however this is not the case. The monuments are owned by the purchaser and installed on private property (the purchased lot) and it is really the responsibility of the family to perform any cleaning or repair. However, some cemeteries do step up and try to repair and curate old broken stones which have long been forgotten. This is purely a voluntary action on their part, and if they do it, it’s because they love their cemetery.

Not a Genealogist

While many people contact cemetery sextons to find out genealogical information on past interments, answering these types of questions, and doing genealogy is NOT their responsibility, and if they choose to provide this information, it is purely of their own free will.

Your Faithful Caretaker

Always remember – it is not the job of a sexton to know what is inscribed on the stone, or the relationship of any individual to any other individual, or to fix a broken stone – but rather it is their job to keep up the cemetery and to know who is buried where, what lots are sold, and what lots are available. They have to deal with the finality of death, eternal resting places of loved ones of the living, and be sensitive to the emotional state of the public, sometimes during their time of great loss.

It’s not just a job.

Transcribing for the Digital Cemetery Project

2006-09-18T09:39:00.000-06:00

How Do I Begin?

The easiest way to transcribe the gravestones from the digital photographs is to arrange your screen so that you can see both the photo and the Excel template at the same time. To do this I open the template, make it the width of the screen, and then size it down to the lower 1/3 of the screen. Then open the photo viewer and size it to fit in the space above the template. With just a click you can zoom in on the photo for better clarity and use the viewer navigation to move through the photos.

Screen Layout Example

There will likely be a number of photos that are unreadable, due to poor photographs, stones that don’t photograph well, or stones that are just in very bad shape. Enter the information you can read, if any, along with the photograph file name, and highlight the record using a fill color. I will take these out to the cemetery to try to gain more clarity before finalizing the transcription for publication.

The Template

The Excel template is used to enter all the transcriptions, usually in the format of one tab per section of the cemetery. When the transcriptions are completed and ready for publication, the template is uploaded into the database and the records immediately appear on my cemetery work site. From there, with a little effort, I can publish to Genweb, Interment.net, and book formats, as well as generate a static Surname index for sites that do not support dynamic content (like Genweb or books).

Below is a list of the column headings in the transcription template. Each entry is followed by a brief explanation of the field and what should be entered there. Enter only the information that appears on a stone. Do not fill in information that is not given (ie do not calculate ages).

cid : Cemetery ID from the database – hidden field, please ignore
id : Transcription ID generated from the database – hidden field, please ignore
Surname : Surname only
Givenname : Includes first, middle, maiden name, titles (Dr, Sr, III)
BD : Two-digit birth day (use leading zero) *
BM : Two-digit birth month (use leading zero) *
BY : Four-digit birth year
BPlace : Birth Place can include country, county, state, city
DD : Two-digit death day (use leading zero) *
DM : Two-digit death month (use leading zero) *
DY : Four-digit death year
DPlace : Death Place can include country, county, state, city
AY : Age years (no leading zero)
AM : Age months (no leading zero)
AD : Age days (no leading zero)
MD : Two-digit marriage day (use leading zero) *
MM : Two-digit marriage month (use leading zero) *
MY : Four-digit marriage year
Inscription : Inscription personal items only, such as military service, Father, Mother, Husband, Wife, Son of …, Parents of …, Infant, Erected by, etc. Also include fraternal and other organization symbols, such as Woodmen of the World, Mason, Odd Fellows, etc. Do not include epitaphs or Bible verses or poems.
Notes : If more than one person on a stone, enter s/w (same stone with) followed by the full names of the other people on this stone. If more than 3 people, name the stone (such as Young-Lewis stone) and enter this on all related records. Other possible entries here include notations about the condition of the stone, indication if the source is a metal funeral home marker, indication of veteran or other medallions.
Photo : The file name of the photo in uppercase, ie DSCN1203.JPG. If several photos exist for a person or transcription, enter them all in this field separated only by a comma (no spaces). There are many group photos and Family stones that should be appended to each transcription that is pictured in the photo.
Vet : 0 (default), or 1 to indicate transcription of a Veteran
Row : Row in the cemetery based on order photos taken. Photos of a single finger indicate the end of a row.
Section : Name of the section, based on sexton’s map or predetermined naming convention (usually same name as tab)
Block : From sexton’s map, where exists.
Lot : From sexton’s map, where exists.
PhotoDir : Directory and subdirectory (where exists) of photo file used by the database to display the photo links.

* Template is set up to automatically add the leading zero to the fields where this is required. Please do not reformat the template.

Other Template Notes

- DO NOT USE THE AMPERSAND (&)! This can cause publishing to break in some formats. Please spell out the word ‘and’ in place of using the ampersand.

- DO NOT USE PERIODS – just leave them out! DO use a space to separate initials.

- HIGHLIGHT the bad or questionable entries.

- SUBSTITUTE a question mark (?) for a letter or number that is not legible.

- WATCH the GIVENNAME – Excel will often autofill as you type, taking names from the previous entries in that column. If you are typing the name John, Excel might fill in John S from a previous entry. Sometimes you have to DELETE things you didn’t type from the Givenname.

About the Photos

- A photo of a single finger signals the end of a row. Do not index the index finger, just increment the row number in the transcription.

- A photo of a hand signifies the end of a section. This is often followed by photos of the preceding section from the finish point, and sometimes photos from the starting point of the next section. Do not index the hand or area photos.

- Add the transcriptions in order within a tab. If there are several batches within a folder, please do not skip around. The photos are taken in order beginning from a known location.

- There may be group shots to be added to all individuals

- There will be Individual photos of family stones to be added to all individuals. You may encounter one or two stones with no surname right before the family stone.

- There may be multiple photos of the same side of a stone, usually because they don’t look good. Just choose the best and index – no need to index 3 of the same photo.

- Some people have multiple stones or have information on the reverse side of the monument. Sometimes we miss that on the row when photographing and have to get them on the next row, or later. Please watch out for duplicate names and do not make a second entry for the same person. Just add the additional information to the first transcription, and chain on the photo file name

Digital Cemetery Project: What's New

2006-09-18T07:19:00.000-06:00

Well, it has been another busy and successful weekend photographing gravestones. This weekend Bruce and I managed to photograph all the stones at the De Soto cemetery! This adds yet another photographed cemetery to the list waiting to be transcribed. I sure do wish the transcription part went as fast as the photography!

As of today, the following cemeteries are photographed and ready to transcribe:

De Soto
Edgerton
Lenexa
Spring Hill
Union

Saint Joseph almost ready for prime time!

Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery is officially transcribed! I want to extend my sincere and heart felt thanks to Carol Rollins, once again, for her help with transcribing the front part of the cemetery. With out her help it would probably be next year before it was completed. When it is ready to publish, Saint Joseph will be the biggest cemetery completed in the Digital Cemetery Project. Ah, but the just keep getting larger – that’s what I get for putting the largest ones last!

So, now I need to take the St Joseph transcription back to the cemetery and work on interpreting the stones that were unreadable in the photos, and try to index the front half of the cemetery to the sexton’s map. It will still be a while before St Joseph is published, but we’re definitely getting closer by the day!

And now it is time to return to the daily grind of earning a living to support this darned hobby of mine!

It’s My Party and I’ll Blog If I Want To

2006-09-15T16:06:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Digital Cemetery blog where you can read about all aspects of cemeteries, cemetery research, and the current happenings in the Digital Cemetery Project. Whether you are a cemeterian, sexton, researcher, or just want to know that the heck these people like to talk about, this is the place for you!

What’s the point

The goal of the Digital Cemetery Project is to collect and preserve cemetery information for historical reference by creating electronic and photographic records, and making them freely available to the public. This project is beginning by digitizing the Johnson County, Kansas, cemeteries. Why Johnson County, you ask? Because that’s where I live and there’s no place like home, Dorothy!

Who cares about this stuff?

You are probably thinking that there are, at most, a handful of people with Johnson County roots who are out there researching their own genealogy and might get a kick out of the Digital Cemetery. Ding, ding, ding - you are correct! As those of us geneaologists know well, hardly anyone hires genealogists these days; we have now become a self-service society. Now, at best, researchers are asked to do an occaisional mind-numbing look-up task that can't be gotten to any other way. But with gravestones, many people want the photo to use as proof to join a hereditary society like the DAR and SUV.

So, what’s the payoff?

Is it really worth all this work just for a few genealogy seekers? You bet it is! As it turns out, the DIY genies are only a small percentage of the audience! The majority of people that dig through the cemeteries and transcription sites are not the handful looking for great great Grandmama Addams, but are the many looking for their Aunt Effie, Grandpa Jones, or their own parents or siblings! And I, personally, I’ve found no better payoff than receiving the occasional email of thanks for bringing a person’s loved one home to them.

You’ve GOT to be Kidding me!

Once upon a time families lived together in the same area, sometimes even the same homestead, for generations. But today people are mobile and more likely than not, don’t live near where their loved ones are interred. The living family may not be able to go to the cemetery, but now their loved ones can be brought home to them in transcriptions, photos, and cemetery histories, through the Digital Cemetery. And if they want to plan a pilgramage to visit their graves, they can find maps and information to help them too.

Look out!

Believe it or not, there are others out there as wacko as I am that just love cemeteries, and we're out of the closet! Some are into the symbolism, some are into the inscriptions, some are into the stone carvers, and some people just into history! You can find many such experts (and avid enthusiasts like myself) in the Association for Gravestone Studies membership.

SSDD (Same Stuff Different Day)

There is plenty to dig in to and blog about when it comes to cemeteries! Stay tuned for information about the Digital Cemetery Project. I hope you’ll join me and add your questions, thoughts, and blogs about cemeteries too.