Halloween always conjures up mental images of ghouls, goblins, monsters, ghosts, witches, and other unearthly creatures. It also makes me think of cemeteries, and as a genealogist, cemeteries don't frighten me at all. A cemetery is actually a peaceful place for reflection and for family history research using tombstones. The information found on tombstones can provide any number of clues, but the information should always be considered a secondary source. In "Along Those Lines . . ." this week, let's discuss some of the reasons why tombstones are secondary sources.
Tombstone Troubles
Tombstones, markers, plaques, mausoleums, and other monuments have been used over the millennia to mark the place of an individual's interment or to act as commemorative memorial to a person. The study of these markers over time provides a number of interesting insights into the sociological and archaeological aspects and practices surrounding death and memorialization. The common denominator across many centuries of burial markers is the inclusion of vital information about the deceased. Names, dates, and other information is carved, inscribed, or otherwise written to communicate facts about the deceased's life.
What we must understand about these commemorative markers is that they are not primary sources of genealogical information; they are emphatically secondary sources. The following are some reasons and examples of why tombstones are secondary sources.
Time of Placement. Tombstones and other grave markers are very frequently not placed until sometime after the death and burial of the individual. In some cases, it may be months or even years before a permanent marker is installed. During the Great Depression, many people did not have the money for gravestones and therefore had to wait for better financial times to allow them to order a marker and have it installed.
Incorrect Names. Individual's names on tombstones may possibly be incorrect. As with death certificates, the accuracy of information on a tombstone depends on the knowledge of the informant or the person who actually ordered the stone. As a result, a tombstone may bear a nickname rather than the true name of the individual. This is the case with my Grandmother Morgan's stone. Her real name was Laura Augusta Wilson Morgan, but her gravestone reads Minnie Wilson Morgan—a concession to the nickname used throughout her life and to the physical size of the stone.
In other cases, there may be errors on the marker. Occasionally, a stonemason made an error in carving information. You might expect these to be caught and a new stone created, but this did not always happen. For example, in one old cemetery in downtown Tampa, Florida, there is a tombstone on which there is a spelling error in the surname. Rather than create a new stone, the stonemason carved a slash through the incorrect letter on the stone and then carved the correct letter above the incorrect one.
Incorrect Dates. Vital dates can also be wrong. A death certificate may be a primary source for death information, but it is certainly only a secondary source where birth details are concerned. The accuracy of this information again depends on the knowledge of the informant, and any incorrect information provided may be perpetuated on a tombstone.
Another cause for an incorrect date on a tombstone may be the vanity of the deceased person. Some people may try to conceal or even lie about their age. This deception may literally be taken to the grave—to the stone itself—in the form of incorrect dates.
Wrong Place. Another problem with tombstones is that sometimes they are placed in one location when the burial actually took place somewhere else. It pays to study obituaries and to make note of the place of interment, if included. One of my great-uncles has two tombstones in different cemeteries. The first one was placed in his wife's family plot and was pre-inscribed with his name, year of birth, and "19--" in the space for year of death. For many years, a number of family members thought he was buried there. It was not until I conducted some additional obituary research that I found that he had married a second time, and that he and his second wife purchased and were buried in another cemetery on the other side of the town where they lived.
Transcription Typos
There are many conscientious people involved in projects to transcribe tombstone inscriptions and make them available for others' research. I applaud the efforts of these volunteers, many of whom are local historians and members of genealogical and historical societies. Even the most conscientious person, however, may make errors while working through the cemetery. Some stones are eroded or covered with lichen, moss, vines, and other growth that make them difficult to read and decipher. Transcribers will give their best effort at reading them correctly, but may still record incorrect information. In other cases, it is easy to miscopy or misspell names and other data, and numeric figures may be easily transposed.
And then there is the process of formally preparing the data for publication. The errors made in the cemetery, and new ones created during the process of typing or performing data entry, can be published and are then perpetuated by researchers who may accept the data as fact. For these reasons, it is important to use published cemetery transcriptions only as finding aids to point you to the actual tombstone. You will want to see the tombstone yourself or have someone provide you with a high-quality, high-resolution photographic image for your review.
Setting It in Stone
Thus, there are a number of opportunities for incorrect information to be perpetuated on tombstones. Families may make every effort to provide a fitting and tasteful marker for their loved one, but surviving family members may not have all the details or may make mistakes. In some cases, the person who arranged for the marker may not have been a family member at all. The fact is, unless you were directly involved with ordering and placing a tombstone and knew the information inscribed on it was 100 percent accurate, you really don't know for certain anything about it. That means you don't know who ordered it, when it was ordered, the accuracy of the name, dates, and other information inscribed, or when it was placed. You will therefore need to verify the information with other primary sources.
So, when you pay your visit to the cemetery this Halloween, take a look at the tombstones and markers, and remember that you can't assume the information set in stone" is correct. There is more research needed.
Happy Halloween!
George
Genealogy Cruise 2001: A Family History Odyssey
NOW is the time to make your reservations for the perfect winter getaway! Join two of your favorite online columnists from Ancestry.com, George Morgan and Drew Smith, on Genealogy Cruise 2001: A Family History Odyssey! We're headed on a terrific cruise from Tampa Bay to Key West and back on February 1-4, 2001. Along the line, we'll enjoy the pleasure of oceangoing sailing and present five on-board genealogy workshops. There will also be lots of time in Key West for shopping, touring the famous cemetery, visiting Hemingway House and Audubon House, and more. For the itinerary, the workshop schedule, and complete registration information, visit the Web site. Space is limited, and the ship is filling up fast!
George G. Morgan is a proud member of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors, Inc. He would like to hear from you at atl@ahaseminars.com, but due to the volume of e-mail received, he is unable to answer every message. Please note that he cannot assist you with your individual research. Visit George's Web site for information about speaking engagements. George is also the author of The Genealogy Forum on America Online, which is available in the Ancestry.com Online Store.
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"Along Those Lines"
