Family History Compass
Cemeteries, Skeletons, and Other Genealogical Spooks
by Juliana Smith
Genealogists tend to see everything through a unique family history perspective. This trait just creeps up on you. You don't realize it until something brings it to light. When my sister was in college, something happened that brought us to the realization that my sisters and I were already in pretty deep to this whole genealogy thing. As she walked through one of the dorms, she was thrilled to see that everyone was into family history. Why there were pedigree charts on almost every door! Upon closer inspection, she discovered that they were actually the tournament grids for a basketball tournament.
Mom had done it. She turned us all into genealogists!
I must admit to going further than most with my "family history-tinted glasses." There aren't a lot of us who would find genealogy while sanding off paint, waiting in line at the BMV or with stray cats. (Yes, I might be a little obsessive, but I prefer to think of it as extreme enthusiasm.)
As the Halloween holiday approaches, I am again seeing genealogy everywhere. Let's take a look.
Locating Cemeteries and Other Haunts
Last week my neighbors caught me transcribing the tombstones in their front yard. (Someday Izzy Deadyet and Seymour Bones' descendants will be grateful that I took the time to record their rather unusual grave locations.)
Genealogists are ahead of the curve when it comes to appreciating cemeteries, but sometimes locating them is half the battle. If you can get your hands on a good local map for the vicinity in which you are searching, you may find the cemeteries outlined on the map.
If you're not lucky enough to have the name of the cemetery on a death certificate or through some other record you have collected, map out the cemeteries that are near where the individual lived. For those searching in the U.S., the U.S. Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a very useful tool (http://geonames.usgs.gov). Click on "Query GNIS" and by entering the county name and state and selecting "cemetery" from the "Feature Class" drop-down menu, you can see a list of cemeteries for a particular county.
From the list of results, you can click on each cemetery name for more information and to map the location using Topozone, TerraServer or Tiger Map Server from the U.S. Census Bureau. Both Topozone and TerraServer DRG are topographical maps that show water features and other geographic features. The TerrasServer DOQ map is actually an aerial photograph of the cemetery. (I'm hoping someday they'll tweak that zoom feature so I can read the headstones too!)
You can also locate some of your ancestors' other "haunts" using this tool, including schools, churches and "populated places." Maps show streams, rivers, ponds, wooded areas, mountains, valleys, etc. If you have an obscure U.S. town or feature name associated with your ancestor, this is a great place to look.
Make That Skeleton Dance
George Bernard Shaw once said, "If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance." We can make all our ancestors "dance" -- not just those skeletons in the closet -- by seeking out details in records that give us clues to their lives and investigating them.
What was their occupation and what might that work have been like? Census records and directories are good places to learn about their occupations. Take it a step further by researching that occupation online and in books and periodicals.
Were they active in their church? Look into the history of your ancestor's church. You may find him or her mentioned in a published history of the religious community.
Were they educated and could they read and write? Most of us have seen the columns in censuses noting whether an ancestor could read or write, or noting "at school" in the occupational field, but have we ever put that together with their ages? Or how old they are when you first find them listed as employed? In the 1880 U.S. Census, my great-grandmother's two sisters, aged fifteen and seventeen are employed as coffee packers. Another column in that census revealed that when that enumeration was taken in June, their father had been unemployed for three months of that census year.
Were there health issues that impacted the family? By looking into the causes of death, both primary and secondary, we can gain helpful insights into the family life. Often, the attending physician had to note how long the deceased had been in his care. This could indicate whether there was a lengthy illness or whether the death was sudden and unexpected.
Take a look at all the details on the records you have for an individual and see if you don't form a clearer picture of that ancestor. While he may not rise up and dance, you might feel like doing a little jig!
Communicating With the Dead
Superstitions say that Halloween is a good time to communicate with the deceased. Of course, I do that all the time. Usually the conversation is one-sided and goes something like this: "William Dennis, where were you in 1850? Why are you hiding from me? Please, oh please, reveal yourself to me!" He never answers, but occasionally, I could swear I hear laughing. (Of course, that's probably my husband.)
Recently I got a more productive idea for communicating with my ancestors. The other night, my neighbor hosted a "ladies night tea party." It was a very relaxing evening for the ladies in our neighborhood. We had finger sandwiches, punch and homemade treats and we chatted about a lot of things. Our hostess' parents both passed away over the past few years. She told us that to get through difficult times, she had started writing what she called "letters to heaven." When she was missing them, she would sit down and write them a letter telling them what was going on with the family. She is saving these letters in a folder for her children.
I love that idea and think I'd like to give it a try. Maybe if I address the letters to William, he'll drop me a hint.
Happy Halloween!
On Halloween, legend has it that the veil is lifted, allowing for the spirit world to return. I hope that this Halloween, the veil is indeed lifted for you and that you gain some helpful insights into your ancestors' lives.
Juliana Smith is the editor of the Ancestry Daily News and author of The Ancestry Family Historian's Address Book. She has written for Ancestry Magazine and Genealogical Computing. Juliana can be reached by e-mail at: ADNeditor@ancestry.com, but she regrets that she is unable to assist with personal research.
Copyright 2005, MyFamily.com.
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