Graveyards

Grave stones can tell you a lot but, you'll often find it easier to find your ancestor in a burial register or, if you're lucky a monumental inscription transcript, than to spend hours walking round a graveyard. The area around Hartlepool has been transcribed as have many cemetaries in major towns. By all means, visit the local churches where your ancestors lived but, choose a nice warm spring day, (some graveyards can be overgrown in summer).
Overgrown graveyard
If you want to read the story of how I was nearly arrested in a graveyard at Hart, Durham then follow this link.

If you know of the existence of a grave, then it may be worthwhile visiting the grave and recording the inscription. Look in the same graveyard (provided it's not too big) for any other family members. If the grave is in a municipal cemetery, then check the burial registry at the cemetery, rather than walking around looking for a grave at random. In many churchyard, you'll find that the grave markers have been cleared to make the churchyard easier to maintain. Often in this case, the markers have been recorded and you'll find it's much easier to look through the transcript of this. Remember, however, that the corpse may have been the only one who knew his or her age with certainty. Often relatives guessed.

As an example of what you can find, if you're lucky, here's the gravestones of my 4th great-grandfather's family from Gainford parish churchyard:

Sacred to the memory of John Chapman of Alwent, late of Headlam, in the county of Durham, who died the 20th day of February 1849 aged 81 years.

Beneath this stone are interred the mortal remains of Joseph Chapman, the fourth and youngest son of John and Mary Chapman of Headlam. He departed this life on the 6th day of October 1828 aged 27 years.
And of the above named Mary Chapman who deceased on the 1st day of November 1830 in the 68th year of her life.
And also of George the son of the above named John and Mary Chapman. He died on the 29th day of May 1836 aged 36 years.

On the rear of the above stone -
This inscription is in memory of Margaret, youngest child of John and Mary Chapman. She departed this life at Kilburn Priory on the 4th day of August 1836 aged almost 32 years and was interred in the cemetery at Kensal Green both in the country of Middlesex.

While you are in a graveyard look in the same area (provided it's not too big) for any other family members. If the grave is in a municipal cemetery, then check the burial registry at the cemetery, rather than walking around looking for a grave at random.

In many churchyards, you'll be disappointed to find that the grave markers have been cleared to make the churchyard easier to maintain as in Kirby Stephen, Westmoreland where the gravestones were relocated around the cemetary wall. Often the markers have been recorded and you'll find it's much easier to look through the transcript of this. Remember, however, that the corpse may have been the only one who knew his or her age with certainty. Often relatives guessed.

 

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