General Chat

Oh Mathew, I love it, like Joy visit a lot of cemeteries in Cornwall. To answer your question 'yes my children think we are mad'. Although my husband does not do any research, being a builder he loves looking at the architecture of the churches.

Carol

My husband drove aged BIL and myself all the way to Bala to look around two cemeteries in the pouring rain.

It was very interesting but soooooooo frustrating because my family line is....Jones!!

Sadly one of the churches is now in private ownership (although the graveyard is open to visitors) the other church was unsafe to enter and that one I would have loved to have gone into.

I have notes and photographs but need to see the burial records to weed out the Jones' that were not mine.

Sue

Well I love visiting cemetery's .....

Everyone in my family knows this is my pastime, my hubby is quite willing to tag along a long as I find him the
Village Pub !!.....then off I go!!

As most of my ancestors are from Devon & Cornwall, I think I must know every Village Pub ;-)

When in Cyprus on holiday I even transcribed headstones from WW1 Commonwealth graves..... for the project that CWGC are putting together ...

Marilyn ......

yes spanish eyes some grave yards and their contents
are on line
thanks to some very kind people taking the trouble to log them
i myself found an online graveyard in gillamoor
with over 50 of my family members buried there
turned out a member of our family even built the church
with his own hands
the find was a gold mine to me
as my favorite person in my tree
a tamar potter/wood was the first grave there
thought to my disapointment john scott richardson 1856
is avading me
i just cannot find his grave
no matter where i have looked
but i will carry on searching for it
and just one day maybe i will find it

There isn't a central place for photos of graveyards/headstones if that is what you mean. If you know where people are buried, it might be worth contacting the local FH society and ask if they would be willing to go have a look and take photos. Or you could email the Church and see if they can help.

Some council cemetery registrars are willing to take photos as well.

There is no harm asking on here if someone local could go and have a look for you, if you know where they are buried.

Always do an Internet search for burial records - they may be on line.

We have to remember that not all, or in many cases, few of our ancestors could afford a permanent marker. We even find that some graves which did have a headstone have been re-used over the years for a new family, or the headstones have been removed to aid mowing etc.

Someone on this site has a thread about cemeteries with a long list....but I can't find it!

I have been grave hunting several times. My hubby calls it "looking for the dead" and I do get some stick from him and my daughters and some extended family. However, other people are quite interested when I tell them what information you can find about ancestors. I also point out that these graves have probably been forgotton by descendants and that, at least I have after probably years and years, bothered to visit them, take a photo for future generations to see. Writing wears off and photos preserve what his written.

One grave I found, was covered in 2foot high weeds. My husband was very amused when I proceeded in weeding it so that the writing could be seen and every one else visiting the graveyard could now see who it belonged too!

Only problem I have found whilst searching graveyards - Holes, and some of the ground sinking. Once I fell face first into a sunken grave and I was really upset about it. My husband thought I had hurt myself, but it was the feeling of being disrespectfuly which made me cry! Can laugh at it now!

I have spent hours looking round. I even found a gravestone for Donald Duck in Brough, Yorkshire - right next to a family member! Took photograph to proove it too!

It is sad to think that some of these old graveyards don't often get visited, at least all these family researchers are interested!!

I have read all the entries and how interesting they are. I only really got into Family history when we moved from the UK to Spain so very difiicult to go to cemetries. I have been to Mere in Wiltshire and seen quite a few but the photos are not good as it is difficult to read them. I have also been to Layer de la Haye and Fingrinhoe in Essex and was able to see my grandparents and a favourite Aunt and uncle burial place but that is about all. Is there another way to do this. for example can one see Graveyards and Cemetries on line ????

12.04 hrs Spain

i have seen people laugh
as my hubby and i up to our knees in brambles or snow
piecing broken head stones together
just to get that last bit of info
but how good is that feeling of finding the final piece lol
once we searched a graveyard in ther pouring rain for two hours
got soaked through only to find
when we later went inside the church
a booklet with the full contents of the graveyard was freely availible
sods law

I often visited my friends in their homes - now, I visit some of them occasionally in the local cemetery.

Long may I be able to do so.

Hello all,

Felt like resurrecting my old thread as have been doing a lot of grave-hunting lately. Usually drag my best mate with me to get him more into genealogy and am thrilled he is going to university in Norwich, as that is where lots of my ancestors are from and gives me an excuse to visit him and go round the graveyards! :-D

More stories of grave-hunting loopiness welcome!

Matt

Wow!

I was not expecting this much response to my thread! Now Im glad im not the only one who thinks that pottering around a graveyeard on a sunny afternoon one of the most relaxing and thought-provoking things you can do.

Cheers everyone, and happy grave-hunting!

I drove 1hr to visit a Hick of a Town called Killamarsh in Derbyshire, as my GGrandmother was born there as were her family some 100 years before. This place only had 1 Church which of course housed MANY of my relatives. So there I was taking various pictures much to the dismay of my OH & Sons and I met a lovely woman who was doing the same thing. We have now become great friends. This village is so old it still had the stocks in the churchyard.................YES ................ of course I had my picture taken in it xxxx

No, I have never experienced that stare.

Everyone is interested. Several cousins and a sibling enjoy family history research; and my OH and I have hunted our ancestral families in Cornish churchyards.

I visited the township of my early relatives with my daughter and granddaughter and we went around the cemetery. I told them three surnames which are in my tree and they enjoyed themselves going around finding them for me. My grand-daughter was photographed, sitting on the corner of the grave of her gr/gr/great grandparents!

While I worked out the relationship of each one- daughter went around clicking the camera on every headstone which bore one of those names - then emailed them to me when we came home and I sorted them out later for the family history.
I give thanks for the modern methods of cameras and computers!!!

Dear All

There is nothing wrong with visting graveyards, providing you go
with a couple of people for safety.

There is something wrong with trying to bulldooze them for property development.

Some old cemetaries have been taken over by the group
"Friend of the Earth". They plant flowers and trees to attract wildlife.
Before this, all information on headstones are transcribed and sent to the
local record office.

Postmans Park in London is a memorial to ordinary people who died trying to save others in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

There are beautiful wall mounted inscrriptions to each person.

Best wishes.

Friends at work asked what I had done on my birthday. I told them oh and I had gone to look round a grave yard. With a groan they all said only you could do that. To find a headstone photograph it, and take notes of the inscriptions where they are difficult to read, then lunch in a country pub is my idea of a lovely day out.

"If you don't go to other peoples' funerals, they won't go to yours".

Had to chuckle at some of the replies,
of which I agree entirely.
My daughters tend to tut and look up to the sky, and say
Mum's off again.
Also, I hate to admit it, several years ago, I attended a Wedding,
and whilst waiting for the bride to turn up, people were all waiting outside the church, socialising as you do,I wondered off looking at the headstones,someone called out to me,the brides coming get in the church quick,
I was so engrossed with the wonderful writing on the headstones,
I wish I could have stayed there engrossed in my findings.
Naughty me. lol !!!!!!!!!!!

Trish
xx

Matthew great thread.
Yes and no.
Our Grankids fight to come with us!! They love it.

Tecwyn
Might have to try the shaving foam and widow wiper what a good idea! ops WINDOW wiper. lol

Will keep an eye on this for ideas on how to clean headstones without damage.
Love to all
Tricia xx

I have always had a thing about walking round grave yards,So has my sister.

Day or nite.

One i went to last year as knew of one grave there that family where in, And on head stone told me when and where two of the children died.

Yes people do think its not normal to go grave hunting. But i love it and hope to some this year again.