- Locating Old County Cemeteries

When conducting a survey of the cemeteries of a given county, there are a tremendous number of sources from which to draw information. Some will reveal tremendous amounts of pertinent information, some will reveal absolutely no information whatsoever, and some will reveal only bits and scraps that are integral pieces of the puzzle. When starting a county cemetery survey, the absolute first place to go is the well documented source that will reveal the greatest amount of information and the most precise.

The absolute first place to start is U.S. Geological Survey - Geographic Naming Information System, USGS-GNIS. The amount of data available on cemetery locations might range anywhere from 10% to 50% of the total cemeteries of the county and contain precise latitude/longitude location data. From here the sources of data get tougher and less defined. The next step is to check with county Historical Societies and Public Libraries to determine whether there are published lists of county cemeteries and their locations. Be sure to look for published cemetery listings that contain cemetery location information such as Township, Range, Section, and Quarter-Quarter data. The next step is to check with all of the major communities in the county to determine whether they have public or municipal cemeteries associated with their operations. Next, check with all of the churches in the county to determine whether they have cemeteries associated with their operation.

Following these major sources of cemetery location information your job gets tougher since compiled data for cemetery locations will probably not be available from these subordinate sources. At the bottom of this page is a compilation of potential sources of information and possible leads to consider when conducting your county cemetery survey. The list is quite complete; however if you give diligent thought to it you can probably think of several more sources of location information.

Above all, the most important source of information related to the location of the older, abandoned, family cemeteries will probably come from the older residents of your county in the rural areas. If possible, publicize your efforts in the county newspaper, listing individuals that can be contacted regarding cemetery locations, set up dates and times that representatives will be present at rural stores, civic centers, gas stations, etc. to bring maps and discuss these older, abandoned, family cemeteries that are and have been so evasive. It is the older member of these rural areas that remember where these cemeteries were located from their youth and the histories of the families that are buried there. Don't allow this vast, knowledgable resource to go untapped.

Have knowledge of the laws of your state regarding cemetery visitation and visitation of cemeteries on private property. It is imperitive that, when conducting a survey of the cemeteries of the county, all researchers obey the laws of the state and work with property owners of cemeteries on private land. These land owners have rights on their own property and these rights must be respected. Simply because a state law allows visitation of abandoned family cemeteries on private property, does not mean that the landowners rights should be abused. A good working relationship with the land owner assures that return visits for the purpose of photographing or listing the cemetery are likely to succeed and that the landowner will be more likely to excercise the proper care and stewardship over this abandoned cemetery. One abuse or confrontation can ruin your efforts. In some cases it may be necessary to delay the confrontation, if unavoidable, until nearing the end of the cemetery survey. Good luck on conducting the cemetery of your county.

Following is the list of potential sources for cemetery location information:

Local Records
• Older Residents or Family
• Published Transcriptions
• Newspaper Obituaries
• Church Records
• Veterans Service Officer, VFW and Am. Legion
• Death Certificate
• Local Licenses, Permits & Registrations
• Local funeral directors
• SAR and DAR records and persons
• Local Historical Association
• Township Trustees and Advisory Boards
• Funeral Homes/Undertakers
• Monument Companies
• Vault Companies
• Coroner's Office
• Other Cemeteries

County Records
• Recorder's Office - Plat Books
• Assessor's Office - Non-Assessed Lands
• Surveyor's Office - Surveys containing cemeteries
• Probate Court - reference to cemetery in probate records
• Circuit Court - reference to cemetery in circuit court records

Libraries
• Local
• County
• Regional
• State
• Published Transcriptions
• Published County Histories

Historical Societies
• County
• State
• Published Transcriptions
• Published County Histories

Maps
• USGS Topographical Maps
• USGS-GNIS
• Historic Plat Maps
• Historic Atlases
• Goodspeed's County History
• MODOT Highway Maps
• USDA Federal Forest Maps
• Corps of Engineers Maps
• Dept. of Natural Resources Maps
• Conservation Department Maps

At the top of the right hand sidebar and on the downloads page, a blank MS Works database file is provided to assemble your list of cemeteries within a given county. This blank database file makes provisions for all of the information considered to be pertinent to locating, assessing general condition, evaluating whether the cemetery qualifies for pioneer status, and assessing the future endangerment of the cemetery. It provides a quick easy reference for all cemeteries and allows all cemeteries to be readily indexed by cemetery name, location by legal description, endangerment, or any other factor contained within the information fields. The view shown of the database on the downloads page is that of the form view for an individual cemetery and represents a record for an individual cemetery which may be printed to provide a hardcopy record of individual cemeteries. Cemetery data may be entered as well as viewed in the form view as well as in the list view (tabular format). You may change back and forth between form view and list view by accessing the "View" option on the menubar at the top of the MS Works Database. The database provides the best method of storing, indexing, viewing, and retrieving the information regarding the locations of your cemeteries. All information contained within the database file appears on the form view graphic, item #4, appearing on the "Downloads" page of this website.