October 16th - Are you a prepared genealogist?

Are you a prepared genealogist? This morning was another lovely crisp Autumn day in the Pacific Northwest and so I decided to visit the cemetery where my grandparents' graves are located. Today's visit was a bit different because I was hoping to speak with someone in the office and learn a bit more about the cemetery and what they might have available to visitors.

Last week I went on their website and did a search for anyone with the surname Keough (with my spelling or Kehoe, Keogh or Kough). My search returned 27 hits. Thankfully the cemetery has a database with the names, burial dates, section, lot, and site. I entered the information in an Excel worksheet (I have mentioned how much I love Excel right?!) and then was able to group the burials by the named sections and lots. When you do that family connections just pop out. I jotted down a dozen questions on the back of the worksheet, brought a pen and my smarter-than-me phone and  set off on my morning walk (killing two birds with one stone - I get my walk in and do a bit of family history research).

Here is where the preparation comes in handy. I entered the office and spoke with the person at the front desk. I mentioned that my grandparents were buried there and that I had some information on other Keoughs buried at the cemetery from their website. I asked if it was a good time or if I should make an appointment and showed her my worksheet. This immediately gave her a sense of how many individuals were on my list and showed that I had done my homework.

I asked what information was maintained by the cemetery, if and how it was made available to researchers, whether there were detailed maps of the sections, how the computer system worked, whether they were aware of any cemetery projects that had been conducted there, and what the process was as between the funeral home and the cemetery.

The individual could not have been nicer and she took my grandfather's burial as an example and showed me the large overview of the cemetery, the section where my grandparents were buried, and using the information I provided from my worksheet (name, date, section, lot and site) she was able to get the obituary from the local newspaper (which they keep on file in books by year) and the burial order (which gives authorization for the burial and includes date of death, permit number, cause of death, person or entity requesting the burial and the relationship to the deceased, and cost of burial). The burial orders are also kept in books by year.

As she walked me through the process and provided the various platted maps, I realized how much there is available to us if we come prepared, explain what we are interested in and why, and acknowledge the time constraints on the individuals we are asking for help from. Spending the time to prepare and not wasting someone else's time is an important part of being a responsible and prepared genealogist.

In addition to gaining the information about my grandparents, I was also able to get it for my cousin listed as "Unnamed Infant Keough." And I was able to find his grave (it has a temporary marker) in the section of the cemetery for unbaptized babies. There is an entire section for these babies and infants (those who die within 12 months). Since his birth and death certificates have his name on them - I was told that if I bring them in, they will revise the record to show his name.  

So be prepared, give your questions some thought, be polite and considerate, value others' time as much as your own and great treasures await. Oh and be sure to add all that information to your Legacy family file (I use the events section in addition to the burial entry).

How have your experiences been with cemeteries and how do you enter the information in your Legacy program?