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In Memoriam

The Final Archive of a Persons Life.



Inscriptions are not just on gravestones.  The earliest memorials are those found inside churches.  Next time you're in a church have a look at the brasses, collection plate, pews and even the stained glass windows. They may contain inscriptions.  If you're lucky you may find an ancestor of yours in the church but for most of us the best we can hope for is the churchyard.

Graves can often supply more detail than you expect.  Take the one above for instance.  Their are actually 4 people buried in the one grave.  Graves may also supply details about parents and other family members, area where they lived, occupation etc.  Look at nearby grave stones, families are often buried near each other.

How To Find Your Ancestors Grave

If you're not sure which graveyard or cemetery your ancestors are buried in you will have to find their Burial or Grave records.  Good places to look are:  Local History Libraries, Family History Societies, Parish Registers, Newspaper Obituaries or the Local Record Office. 

Cemeteries in particular can be vast places so it will be worth your while finding the Section Marker and Plot number before you go.  Number 60 on the left and M on the right are just a couple of examples of Section Markers you can expect to find.  

Section Markers are used just for that purpose, to break down a cemetery into sections which makes it easier to find a grave.  

The cemetery may have an office where they keep a grave map.  Churchyard maps are sometimes kept at the vicarage. Also go back to the Local History Library, Parish Registers or Local Record Office.  They will have the information you need. 

The plot number is usually inscribed into the bottom of the gravestone and can be difficult to spot or it may be on a separate stone next to the grave or it may not exist any longer.  Anyway, once you find the section number it should only take a few minutes to locate your grave.

Once you locate the gravestone, take a photograph of the general area, this way when you want to return or somebody else wants to visit it, it can be easily found.  Cemeteries in particular are not small places.  They came about after churchyards became increasingly overcrowded and other areas needed to be found.

Interesting Point:  Churchyards are usually wider on the south side of the church. The North side or "Devils Side" was often reserved for those who were excommunicated, committed suicide, were not baptised or criminals.

Cremation Records

All applications, certificates and any other document associated with a cremation only have to be kept on record for 15 years after which they can be destroyed.  Fortunately cremation registers must be preserved.  If the Crematorium is still open have a look at the Book of Remembrance.  This should contain useful information on your ancestor.

If you're interested in getting a digital camera, can we suggest these links.  UK and Europe. or USA.

Due to download time we had to resample our images on this page from 1280 pixels (Just slightly bigger than an A4 or Letter sized sheet of paper) down to 170 pixels (Slightly less than 2 inches) so we can't show you this picture at the quality we took.