Time to get out your rakes and gardening gloves!
For those of you who have a box already in the shed and ready at a moments notice for those impromptu graveyard trips, some new researchers may need help preparing for graveyard lurking and documenting the trip! So here goes a few tips and suggestions that may help you as you begin the genealogical graveyard lurking season of 2016!
- Maps plan your trip, map out at least three places to spend your day. You never know where back roads will take you, especially those roads less traveled. Some maybe impassable.
- Insect repellent - chiggers and ticks thrive in cemeteries.
- Picnic Lunch and Cooler
- Lawn Chairs
- Proper Clothing - boots, long white socks, long sleeved shirt, hat
- sunglasses
- a box of cornstarch
- large SOFT paintbrush
- spray bottle of water - NO CHEMICALS PLEASE!
- Small garden tools - small hand rake, small hand shovel
- digital camera
- batteries (for the camera)
- Notebook for transcription notes
- something to write with I recommend a pencil!
Now that you have your graveyard kit packed or started, here are some things to remember:
***Not all burial grounds are on public property and you may need to make contact with a caretaker, do you research before going.
Using cleaning solutions, chalk, abrasives etc. on old tombstones are frowned upon and cause damage to the stones. Use cornstarch and a SOFT paintbrush for those hard to read stones. Do not try to recreate names and dates on them. REMEMBER we want to protect the integrity of the markers.
Using cleaning solutions, chalk, abrasives etc. on old tombstones are frowned upon and cause damage to the stones. Use cornstarch and a SOFT paintbrush for those hard to read stones. Do not try to recreate names and dates on them. REMEMBER we want to protect the integrity of the markers.
Document the condition with a photograph and write down what letters and numbers that are visible and share them with others. Document everything!
Keep a journal of where you visit and directions, the condition of the cemetery, date, time of day, and always take pictures of the entrance of the cemetery and a sign with the name if there is one BEFORE you photograph stones. This will help you keep track of your archive work right on the pictures!
Keep a journal of where you visit and directions, the condition of the cemetery, date, time of day, and always take pictures of the entrance of the cemetery and a sign with the name if there is one BEFORE you photograph stones. This will help you keep track of your archive work right on the pictures!
These are pictures I took going into Cedar Grove in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky in 2014 documenting the cemetery location.
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