where2look4ancestors

Category: Tombstone Tourist

  • Willing to Guard and Defend It

    Hundreds of veterans have been laid to rest in section 35 of the Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison Wisconsin. A large monument dedicated to them and the sacrifices they made stands near the center of this section of the cemetery and expresses the sentiments of many on this Veteran’s Day.  

  • Little Norway Lutheran Church Cemetery

    A lovely old church in rural Wisconsin stands watch over members who have passed. Visiting genealogists must love the alphabetical directory posted outside.  

  • Indian Burials

    From the Indian Baptist Church Cemetery in Lyndon Wisconsin; a large whittled branch is placed atop each mound of earth.  

  • Ode to the Chicago Cubs

    Cubs fans have recently been on the edge of their seats with their eyes on the pennant. For some fans, hopes spring eternal.

  • An Unending Love

    A monument to love stands in a shady section of Bluff City Cemetery in Elgin Illinois.   The large surname stone reads: Ours is an unending love, Higher than heights above, Deeper than depths beneath, Lasting ever, e’en in death.

  • Rainy Day Sunday

    Mother Nature always has the final word. On this particular Sunday, her word was no. No to my plans to photograph Riverside Cemetery in Black River Falls Wisconsin . Unless I wanted to be drenched. Sigh.

  • Many Hopes are Buried Here

    Not far from the entrance to St. Luke Cemetery in Chicago stands a marble statue created in the likeness of Edna Miriam Paul (1897-1907). The phrase Many Hopes are Buried Here is carved at the base of the monument. Edna’s picture graces the front. Parents Charles and Augusta Paul are buried…

  • The Sisters

    In May I visited Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago. It’s an amazing place with winding lanes, mature shade trees, and lots of unique and interesting headstones. To me, the most interesting feature about Bohemian National was the sheer number of memorial portraits. This is the first cemetery I’ve been to where so many headstones had pictures…

  • Babyland

    Infant and child mortality rates have decreased dramatically over the past 100 years, but both still occur at alarming rates. Many cemeteries have sections set aside exclusively for children, something genealogists should keep in mind when researching children. In Minneapolis’ Lakewood Cemetery, this section is called Babyland. It’s a lovely tree-lined…

  • Waking with the Dead

    Coffee in hand, I head to my desk and start typing. Last name. First name. Date of birth. Date of death. Cemetery section. Photo number. Rinse and repeat. A second cup of coffee. More names. More dates. Lives begun. Lives ended. People buried alone. Families reunited for all eternity. Infants…