Just like humans and other geographic features, cemeteries can change their names. What was used on a death certificate as the place of burial may not be what the cemetery is known as today or even several years after the burial took place.
Local libraries, county historical/genealogical societies, and long-time natives of the area may be familiar with older names for cemeteries. County atlases or plat books may also refer to a cemetery by the name it was called at the time the atlas was published. A search of old newspapers for the name of the cemetery may not provide the new name but may help pinpoint the area in which it was located. A search of county histories or other out-of-copyright material on books.google.com or www.archive.org for the name of the cemetery may also locate references to the location.
Searching for the gravestone on FindAGrave, Billiongraves or other cemetery transcription sites may result in a reference to the grave. That’s what happened in this case. But it is worth remembering that the grave could have been moved or there was never a stone. And when using a tombstone website, remember that they may not be complete and that you’ll have to make certain you really have the same person.
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One response
Two cemeteries where ancestors of mine were buried were closed and the graves were moved. Amazingly I found that out about one through paperwork a great aunt signed giving permission (when researching in the “new” cemetery office for where subsequent family members have been buried). It listed all the people in one of the moved plots! (There are still a few in that plot I’ve not figured out relationship for … some of the others opened new doors…)
The second cemetery move I found out on Find a Grave. Sadly the new cemetery erected a single stone listing only the surnames of ALL the moved persons, who are in a mass grave…
But what I also found interesting to research was how that land was then used. One became public housing apartments; the other a public park and playground.