Category: Find A Grave
-
Monumental Perspective
My 2nd great-grandmother Elisabeth Schmitt had 13 known siblings. One of her younger brothers, Emile, married the daughter of a beer baron in Cincinnati and played an instrumental role in the John Kauffman Brewing Company in the late 19th century. Although I am not related to John Kauffman, I have…
-
Finding A Grave
My French third great grandmother Marie Anne Schmitt (née Gury) died sometime between June 1860 and June 1870. According to the 1860 census, Marie Anne (called Mary here), her husband Nicolaus (recorded as Nick) and eight of their children lived in Cincinnati, presumably in the Over the Rhine neighborhood. Their…
-
How to Take Better Headstone Pictures for Find A Grave
“Help us find the ending to every family story.” This is the sentiment behind Find A Grave Community Days, an event in which genealogists and taphophiles everywhere are encouraged to “Help preserve your local cemetery.” I hope you’ll join the cause! It’s an amazing way to pay it forward for…
-
Voices in the Cemetery
Jim, a fellow Find A Grave contributor and blogger jokingly suggested conducting a séance after reading my post about the elusive Lily Flower. Our conversation continued by sharing experiences with the departed during our frequent cemetery visits. Jim mentioned a cousin who had been spoken to by cemetery inhabitants who…
-
What I Learned on Find A Grave
Find A Grave contributors come in many shapes and sizes. I know this because I read the bios that catch my eye when I process edits. I enjoy reading the reasons people contribute memorials to Find A Grave, the stories about what brought them there and about their backgrounds in genealogy or…
-
A Tale of Two Cemeteries
While updating memorials on Find A Grave recently I encountered two burials in the wrong cemeteries. Well not burials exactly, just the headstones. And not the wrong cemeteries exactly, just different cemeteries. The 1st incident came to my attention via email. I received the following message (from a 3rd party, not…
-
Time’s A-Wastin’!
Every time I hear of another cemetery threatened by catastrophic weather or destroyed by vandals, I feel a greater sense of urgency to photograph headstones. Although a picture cannot replace a monument, it can provide a record for the family, law enforcement or insurance companies who may wish to replace a damaged memorial. Thoughts…
-
Find A Grave is a Numbers Game; Family Trees
Genealogy clues abound in nearly every cemetery I visit. Sometimes immigration, relationship, and residency clues present themselves in abundance on just one headstone: At times, the overall layout of a family plot will reveal names and relationships: Sometimes the only record of a child who was born and died between censuses is found on…
-
Mystery Monday: Death Certificate 6824
What is Jennie Olivia’s surname? I guessed. And the FamilySearch indexer guessed. But since there is no one else on FamilySearch with the same surname, I can’t help but wonder if we’re wrong. I’m not related to Jennie, but I would like to solve the mystery of her surname. Can you…
-
Mystery Monday: Death Certificate 6818
The measles. Who would think a little boy would die as a result of this childhood illness? And just after his first birthday. Otto Minke’s birth and death were recorded in Chicago records on FamilySearch, but his place of burial is not. I’m not related to the Minkes, but I would…
where2look4ancestors 