Memorial Day is coming up on May 29th. It is a time to visit family cemeteries and decorate the graves. Cemeteries are fully staffed during Memorial Day weekend, so it is also time to collect genealogical information.

Tombstone inscriptions may contain birth and death dates and interesting data about the person. The cemetery office file may contain even more information.

My great-grandpa Will Titus is buried in a family plot, along with his wife and three of his children, Ben, Neil, and Maureen. At least, that is what the tombstones say. The card in the cemetery office indicates that a daughter-in-law and two babies are also buried there. As I looked at the tombstones next to the Titus lot, I spotted Eleanor in the Granlund family lot. She was Neil's fiancé. They were to be married when he returned home from World War I. Tragically, he died in the 1918 Flu epidemic. In death, they were re-united.

To find where someone is buried, look at their death certificate or ask relatives if they remember which cemetery was involved. It is a good way to connect with family members as you work on your family history.

The Clark County Genealogical Society has published a number of Clark County cemetery books. If you had people buried in Clark County, these are a good starting place. Copies of the books are at the Clark County Genealogical Society Library and the Vancouver Community Library.

Not everyone has ancestors who were buried in the immediate area. Sometimes, you need a little help in locating the address of a cemetery. A book to help you is Elizabeth Kot's United States Cemetery Address Book. You can find a copy at the Genealogical Forum Library in Portland.

When you go to the cemetery, go to the office and ask for a map that shows where the grave is located. After you go to the grave and transcribe everything that you see on the stone and browse around in adjoining lots, go back to the cemetery office. Ask if you can see the office file for the grave. This can contain hardly any information, or it can contain an obituary, the name of the funeral home, a death certificate, etc. Whatever it is, it is wonderful stuff. It is information about your ancestor.

© 2000

Connie Lenzen, CG