Planning a Cemetery Trip

There comes a time when a trip to the cemetery is in order to advance your genealogy research.  Some people take it as par for the course; others dread the thought, and then there are those of us who don’t need any excuse to set out for a cemetery.  But in order to make this a worthwhile adventure, there are some points to remember.

Getting Ready

Start with Research -

Find out what county the cemetery you’ll be visiting is located in. Discover what type of cemetery it is, rural, suburban, urban and plan accordingly.

Here are just a few sites to help you find a cemetery:

Find A Grave:         http://www.findagrave.com/

Interment              http://www.interment.net/

RootsWeb               http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/

USGenWeb             http://www.usgenweb.org/

If it is a city cemetery, you will be contacting the cemetery sexton/superintendent or cemetery staff for information.

If it is a small, rural cemetery or one not found on the Internet, the county trustee is whom you should search for. 

If it is a church cemetery, you will need to locate the current clergy for information.

If it is a private cemetery, you will have to discover who owns the land and get their permission to enter.

Check with the county library, local genealogical and historical societies, and local funeral homes for cemetery locations and directions. Remember too, these are great resources to check out for records on your ancestors while you’re in the neighborhood.  Even local newspapers may provide obits with a mention of the cemetery.

But be aware of the spelling of a cemetery name – locals may pronounce and spell the cemetery name differently than others.  Both sets of my great grandparents are buried in Bedell Cemetery, far out in the country in southwestern Indiana.   In my research I’ve found the name spelled as Beadle – Beedle – Biddle, all indicating the same cemetery 

Now that you have a physical address, get a map and directions.  Many cemeteries have maps on their web sites.  Plan to use your GPS or get a map from the Internet.  Two great map resources are:

MapQuest:              http://www.mapquest.com/

Google Maps:          http://maps.google.com/

 Plan, Plan, Plan –

Decide what you want to accomplish.  Are you looking to confirm birth and death dates?  Do you want an actual photo of the grave?  Is this your chance to look at burial and plat records?  Once you know why you’re going to the cemetery, what you’re looking for and how to achieve it, you will find that you get much more done. 

Schedule Appointments – 

If you intend to speak with the cemetery sexton, cemetery trustee or funeral home personal, set an appointment. Schedule time if you want to look through the burial records, cemetery deeds or see death certificates. Most of these people will be happy to meet and talk with you, but please have the courtesy to work with their schedules.

What To Take

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words -

Take a digital camera, an extra memory card and LOTS of batteries.  While stone rubbings and transcribing stones may be useful, you can’t argue with a photo.  This is exactly what was engraved on the stone. Be sure to get at least two shots of each stone.  One should be a long shot to include the general area and the other a close up.  You may also want to zoom in on symbols or epitaphs in order to see them better.  

Always check the backs of stones for any additional information recorded there. Go ahead and shoot surrounding stones.  These could be unknown children, in-laws or neighbors.  And be sure to shoot all of the stones you find that have the surnames you’re searching for.

Pack Your Bag -

Grab a reusable shopping bag and make it your ‘cemetery bag.’  In it, be sure to include a soft paintbrush for dusting grass and dirt off of stones, a soft toothbrush for cleaning out mud-filled lettering, and a spray bottle filled with water.  This will help to clear soil from the stone and allow for easier reading of inscriptions. Pack a notebook or cemetery log to record findings and descritions. Ancestry Printing offers a detailed downloadable cemetery log for free at: http://www.ancestryprinting.com/cemetery%20log.pdf

Also be sure to take some food and water.  Nothing fancy, unless you’re planning a picnic.  Crackers or granola/candy bars are fine, just something to take the edge off of hunger.  And take plenty of bottled water to keep hydrated.

C’mon Partner –

Be smart!  Ask a friend to go along.  While we tend to think of cemeteries as peaceful, quiet vistas, you will find some located in remote, isolated areas, or in questionable urban locations. If the area does not look safe to you – DO NOT continue on. Follow your instincts.

Do not keep anything of value (computers, cameras) within sight in your vehicle.  If you intend to wander far, lock your vehicle and set your alarm. Be aware of your surroundings and those around you.  Be sure you have a charged cell phone on you at all times.  If you have to go alone, tell someone where you will be and when you will return.   ALWAYS REMEMBER - it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Dress Accordingly –

Wear comfortable clothing and dress for the weather.  You’ll more than likely be wandering around all day, so wear comfortable shoes and jeans.  During the warmer months, take a long sleeved shirt or jacket with you.  Carry insect repellent, keep an eye out for snakes, and do a tick and chigger check when you get home.

 The Cemetery

At the Gate -

Before you enter, take a photo of the cemetery sign and any buildings located at the entrance.  This will help you keep locations straight and provide you with a great record of your trip.  If there is a cemetery office, stop in and see what resources they offer.  Check for maps, brochures, notable burials, any tours offered, and get the general history of the cemetery.

Once, from the Top -

Take the time to make a general drive or walk through the cemetery before you get involved in your research.  That way, you know the general layout and have a feel for your surroundings. Find out the cemetery hours and abide by them.

Be Respectful –

Remember, you are in a cemetery.  Treat stones and markers with care.  If a service is going on near your destination, show respect and reroute until it is over.  Avoid doing anything that could damage stones, trees or plantings.  Check with the cemetery office regarding the rules.  Some cemeteries will not allow picnics, pets or photography!

Be Skeptical –

 Just because something is engraved on a stone does not make it so.  Check your cemetery findings against primary sources when you get home.  Gravestones can contain mistakes, just like any other secondary source.

Have FUN!

Take time to admire what’s there.  If the cemetery offers walking or driving tour maps, grab one and get going.  Once your research is done, plan some time to just enjoy being outdoors.  Shoot what you find interesting.  You will be amazed at what you can find in a cemetery – exquisite artwork, interesting architecture, landscaped grounds, poems and prose, the rich and famous; you can make it a day’s worth of interesting and enjoyable pursuits with a little planning.

It’s the weekend – go visit a cemetery!

~ Joy

Remembering Mothers in the Cemetery

St Brigid

Sunday was Mother’s Day, a day that has been celebrated throughout the world since ancient times.  The Romans held a festival to honor Cybele, a mother goddess.  The Greeks had a celebration to honor Rhea, the mother of the gods.  And in Celtic Europe, the goddess Brigid was honored.

Julia Ward Howe

In the United States, Julia Ward Howe is credited with the first attempt to set aside an official day for mom, back in 1870 with her ‘Mother’s Day Proclamation”.    In May 1907, Anna Jarvis set out to make Mother’s Day a national holiday.  In 1914 that holiday was established as the second Sunday in May in the U.S.

Anna Jarvis

Countries throughout the world still have a day or days set aside each year to honor mothers.  Many are more religious or historically based than in the U.S.   It is said that Mother’s Day founder Anna Jarvis, who died in 1948, regretted that Mother’s Day had become a commercialized holiday instead of the reflective remembrance she had wanted.

And, Mother’s Day continues to be one of the most commercialized holidays in the U.S.  According to IBIS World Research, over $2.5 billion is spent on flowers, $1.53 billion is spent on gifts and another $68 million is spent on cards each year.

In the cemeteries too, mothers are remembered and honored in various ways and by various names.  

Some with the standard marker, some with symbols of affection, some with poems and epitaphs.  A mother who has acted as teacher, comforter, caregiver, disciplinarian and friend, who has loved her children and raised them up to let them go is one to be treasured and remembered.

 

She is Gone
You can shed tears that she is gone

Or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back

Or you can open your eves and see all she’s left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her

Or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday

Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her and only that she’s gone

Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back

Or you can do what she’d want, open your eyes, love and go on.

(Read at the Queen Mother’s funeral.)

Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there, I did not die.

                                    - Mary Frye

Those we love don’t go away,

They walk beside us every day,

Unseen, unheard, 

but always near,

Still loved, still missed 

and very dear.

      - Anonymous

Until Friday -

~ Joy

Arbor Day and Those Trees in the Cemetery

Military personnel plant a tree

Today is Arbor Day, a day when everyone is encouraged to appreciate and plant trees.  As a very big ‘tree person,’ I couldn’t let the day go by without taking a look at some of those strange, odd, wonderful trees you find in cemeteries.  You know the ones – twisted, towering, leaning, either over or away from a grave.  And then there are the ‘trees of the dead!’  Those that make the usual spooky Halloween trees look pretty tame.  The ‘Sleepy Hollow’ trees.  The ones that look gruesome and make you feel uncomfortable just to be near them.

Brian Neighbors

My husband, Brian, was the one who started taking, what we call, ‘those odd tree photos.’  We now have almost one-thousand shots of some very interesting trees.  All have been taken in cemeteries throughout the Midwest and Kentucky. 

Larry Caplan, is with the Purdue Extension Service of Vanderburgh County, Indiana.  He is an Extension Horticulture Educator, a Certified Arborist and an Indiana Accredited Plantsman.  He was also a founding member of the Indiana Forest Council.  Larry is a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and performs over 50 magical horticultural lectures each year.  I contacted him a couple of weeks ago and he agreed to look over some photos (OK - a lot of photos) and give his input into why these trees grow or look the way they do.  What has caused these oddities?  How could it have been avoided? And what’s up with those macabre trees anyway?

Here is the interview.

Joy Neighbors:

Is there a reason that cedar and evergreens are usually found in cemeteries?

Larry Caplan:

Evergreens are frequently used in cemeteries because they remain green and living all year round.  Visitors want to feel the concept of “rebirth” or “eternal life” that evergreens represent.  In the Midwest, spruce and firs are not native, nor do they do really well, whereas pines and redcedars are much hardier and a better fit for our soils.

Joy:

Why does lightening seem to strike in cemeteries a lot?

Larry:

Lighting strikes the tallest object in the field, usually.  Most cemeteries are flat with low structures (headstones, tombs, etc.).  The trees are the tallest objects out there, and are therefore a perfect target.

 Another problem with most cemeteries is the lack of a major budget for landscape maintenance.  Lawns are mowed, and grass trimming around headstones is done, but there’s little budget for corrective pruning or other tree care.  Storm damage is cleaned up, but often, the only trimming done is to remove hazardous limbs.  Corrective pruning and other maintenance is not usually performed.

Joy:

I have several photos of cemetery trees in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.  Would you tell us what kind of tree is in each photo and something about what could have caused it’s oddity?

Larry:

This is a Scotch pine.  Older pines lose their typical “Christmas Tree” shape as they age.  Early on, it appears the growing tip was killed, and several of the side branches took over and became new leaders.  The ones on the right were removed, giving the tree the lopsided appearance.  If the landscape was being groomed, only one of the side branches should have been trained to become the new central leader.

~

This is a Eastern Redcedar.  The double trunk indicates that the central growing point was probably damaged at one point; the dark areas in between the two trunks could be decayed areas from the original central trunk.  Most likely, the central trunk was lost in a storm.

~

This is an Eastern Redcedar.  The part missing is apparently caused by a broken limb from a storm.

~

I believe this is a maple.  I would like to get closer to examine it, but it appears that two trees were growing next to each other; perhaps the smaller one on the right could have been a watersprout or sucker.  As they aged, they merged together. They are still probably two separated trees, with a strip of bark in between them.  This could have been prevented by removing the watersprout when it was first seen.

~

This is an unknown species.  The lean is caused mostly by a poor root system.  If you will notice the base of the trunk, there is no flare to root system.  A visible root flare indicates that the tree has a strong buttress root system, which will support the tree from high winds.  A trunk that enters the ground straight, like a telephone pole, indicates that the buttress system is not present.  This produces a tree that is not as stable, and is more likely to lean in a storm. 

I also notice that the base of the tree, toward the center, shows some missing bark.  This indicates that the root (and the wood above it) is dead.

The dead root and lack of flare indicates a trunk-girdling root.  This occurs when a root of the tree wraps itself around the trunk, usually about a foot or so underground.  This is often seen with improperly planted trees.  Because of the way the hole is dug (narrow, with straight sides), the roots tend to turn when they hit the side of the hole, instead of growing straight out.  The knowledge of proper tree planting 50 and more years ago was not what it is today, and this is not quite as common any more.

~

This one is an Eastern Redcedar.  Often, trees planted in windy areas will twist as they grow.  In most trees, this is not readily apparent.  However, the bark and stem structure of redcedars makes this more visible.  You will sometimes see this phenomenon in urban areas:  root damage on one side of the tree produces visible symptoms (dieback) on the opposite side of the tree, instead of directly above the damaged root.

~

Another Eastern Redcedar.  This is commonly known as a burl.  Often, these form at the site of an old trunk injury.  What we are seeing is the wound response wood.  For some reason still not clear, rather than just sealing off the wound, the wound response wood keeps growing.  Some arborists compare this with a cancer growth; although it does not appear to spread into the healthy wood as a human cancer would.  Wood workers prize these burls for their bowl-making because of the interesting patterns the wood forms.

~

The wet spot appears to be a condition called slime flux or wetwood.  This is caused by a bacterial infection.  The bacteria usually enter from a wound, often a pruning wound.  The bacteria lives and multiplies in the sapwood beneath the bark.  As they feed, they ferment the sap and produce carbon dioxide, which forces the sap out of the wood under pressure.  This is usually more of a cosmetic problem than a true disease; most usually, it does not harm the tree at all.

In this particular situation, though, the original wound was not caused by pruning or other mechanical damage.  It appears that this tree’s co-dominant trunk (double-trunk) originates at about the same location as the sap oozes out of the trunk.  Co-dominant limbs like this appear, from the outside, to be solid wood, but in reality, it’s two separate limbs growing next to each other, but not fully merged.  There is normally a strip of bark between the two trunks.  Trees with co-dominant trunks often split in wind storms, since there is nothing to hold the two limbs together.  These two trunks will sometimes move slightly and rub against each other in the wind; this could have been the source of the wound/break in the bark that allowed the bacteria to enter the tree.

~

Probably another Eastern Redcedar.  The wood is very rot-resistant, so broken branches don’t decay and fall off like other trees do.  Often, breaks remain on the tree, and the tree often tries to grow around the broken pieces, producing interesting twists and bends.

~

Unknown species of tree.  This looks like a tree that may have snapped off at the trunk during a storm.  Instead of just dying, though, the stump produced several suckers, which started to grow around the stump.  Over the years, the stump rotted, leaving the openings.  There is also evidence of “mower blight” on the root on the right, from careless mowing crews.

~

This is a Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)  A broadleaf evergreen tree, quite common in Kentucky and southern Indiana.

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This is a Pine tree.  Most unusual!  It appears that a side branch at the bottom became a 2^nd leader/trunk.  Later, a side branch from the main trunk grew to the side and grafted itself to the 2^nd leader. 

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Most likely, the curve of this tree was caused by shading from a larger tree to the right (not visible).  Woodland trees or overplanted trees often compete with each other for sunlight, and will follow the faintest hint of light, creating strange and elegant curves.

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The tree in the foreground appears to have a girdling root.  This is the side-ways growing root running from left to right.  Something disrupted the direction of its growth – possibly a gravestone?  If this root is allowed to remain, it will eventually choke (girdle) the trunk on that side of the tree, leading to its death. 

~

This was a tree that had died or blew over, and several suckers grew up from the stump.  Had only one or two been allowed to grow, they could have been trained to be an attractive, strongly growing tree.  However, five closely-growing suckers were allowed to grow around a rotting stump, producing an unstable clump of limbs.  They will most likely fall over or tear apart in the event of an ice storm or strong wind.

~

A low branch, which probably should have been removed years ago to get out of the way of lawn mowers, was allowed to grow out.  It appears to have been cut back, but not removed, and a sucker appeared at the end of the branch.  This sucker grew upright, and became the new end of the branch.

~

A branch broke off at some point, and the stub was not removed cleanly.  The tree tried to grow over the stub, which eventually rotted.  There is most probably internal wood decay within the trunk.

~

As mentioned before, redcedars are highly resistant to wood rot.  This tree had been hit by lightning, and probably suffered wind damage as well.  Even with all the exposed heart wood, this tree is still alive and growing.

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Trees growing in compacted soils tend to have a shallow root system, especially in restricted sites (like this corner).  As the roots add rings and enlarge, they come to the surface, where they get hit with lawn mowers.  The dense shade of the tree prevents any grass from growing underneath it, which allows soil erosion.

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Eastern Redcedar.  This is most likely a single tree that lost its top at some point in the past.  Lateral buds from right below the break sprouted, forming the multiple leaders.

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This is a honeylocust.  While there are thornless varieties of honeylocust that are commonly used for landscape plantings, the common form of this tree has three-branched thorns.  If I was being chased by a bear and my only chance of survival was to climb a honeylocust, I’d let the bear have me…it would be over quicker.

~

This tree has numerous burls, as discussed above.  The hollow at the base of the tree was probably initiated by torn and/or poorly pruned branches, which allowed decay to start at the wound site and work its way into the trunk.  

( Joy - This is my favorite cemetery tree - what I refer to as the "Sleepy Hollow Tree."  I've had some strange occurrences happen here, but that's for another blog!)

    

My sincere thanks to Larry Caplan for going above and beyond the call of duty in taking the time to review the photos and answer these questions.  You, sir, are a true “Tree Person!”

Sunday, May 1^st, is the start of National Pet Week.  Next Tuesday we’ll encounter some pets that have become a part of cemetery lore because of their devotion to man - even after death.

~ Joy