Abrams Collection Genealogy Highlights
June/July 2003
Volume 5, Number 3

The Library of Michigan has an extensive collection of sources with information from cemeteries across the state. Commonly referred to as "transcriptions" or "readings", these sources may be a compilation of names taken from tombstones, a transcription of the sexton's records or a combination of the two. These sources can be an invaluable tool for researchers, especially when an official death record cannot be found. In addition to a list of names of persons buried in the cemetery, some sources may also include historical information, references to obituaries and a map of the cemetery. Some have names listed in alphabetical order while others are grouped by the way the cemetery plots are laid out. The arrangement of the persons buried in a cemetery plot may reveal familial relationships. If an exact date of death is provided, locating an obituary is a much easier task.

Michigan Cemetery Source Book

A printed guide, the Michigan Cemetery Source Book accompanied by the Michigan Cemetery Atlas, aids users in identifying cemeteries by county, township and cemetery name. A description of the location of the cemetery is provided along with the titles and call numbers of print and microfilm sources available at the Library of Michigan. With this information, users may choose to visit the cemetery to read the stones or view the cemetery records at the sexton's office.

Michigan Cemetery Sources Web Site

The Michigan Cemetery Sources Web site, www.michigan.gov/cemeteries, is an online version of the Michigan Cemetery Source Book. In addition to the information from the Source Book, the site contains information received by the Library since the print version was published in 1994. The site does NOT include a list of personal names. This online resource is consistently updated as the Library receives additional Michigan cemetery transcriptions.

To use the site, click on "Search" at the top of the screen. Click on "Read me first before searching..." above the county drop down menu. This screen explains the contents of the fields in the site. There are a variety of options available on the "Search" screen. To see all the cemeteries in a county, choose the county and click on "Search" at the right side of the screen. This will display a screen that provides the names of all the cemeteries in the county and township where they are located. You also may choose a county, and then use the drop down menu for the townships in that county for a more specific search. To search the "Location" field, enter the name of the road where a cemetery is located or other local identifying information. The "Keyword" field will search all fields. The "Description" field gives the section number within the township, road name or intersection, and sometimes will give an indication of whether it is private, abandoned, the "site" where the cemetery was originally located and the name of the cemetery to where the bodies were moved. Clicking on "view" in the left column will display the "Cemetery Detail" screen, which lists the sources that contain names of the persons buried in the cemetery. The Library of Michigan call number for print and microfilmed versions are provided. Click on the call number and it will take you to ANSWER, the Library's online catalog, where you'll see the library record for a source. If you click on "view" in the "Cemetery Detail" screen, it lists the names of the cemeteries that are included in the source.

At the top and bottom of each page, there are a variety of options to help use the site. "Search Tips" gives basic tips to help maximize search results. "Copies" invites users to visit the Library of Michigan, and tells how to check out a copy of a source, or to request a search and copy of a name within a specific source via interlibrary loan. A list of genealogical researchers and a suggestion of how to find a copy of the source for purchase are also provided. "Links" offers URLs for Web sites that contain the names of persons buried in cemeteries. "Help" gives answers to commonly asked questions about the site and the e-mail address librarian@michigan.gov for help from a librarian. "Contact Us" has the postal mailing address for the Library of Michigan, phone and fax numbers and the e-mail address librarian@michigan.gov.

To find cemetery sources available at the Library of Michigan for other states, use ANSWER. Using a keyword search, enter the name of the county or a cemetery name along with the name of a state, i.e. indiana and cemeter*. The asterisk (*) will truncate your search and find entries using the words cemetery or cemeteries. You also may try a subject search using the county name, the old four-letter postal code "mich" and the word "genealogy."

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Other Cemetery Sources

The following titles also may assist you with your cemetery research; clicking on the links will take you to the catalog record for each book. Suggested Web sites also are listed.

Print Materials

Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo. Your Guide to Cemetery Research. Cincinnati: Betterway Books, 2002.
Genealogy CS 21 .C36 2002

Genealogical Institute (Salt Lake City). Publications Division. How to Search a Cemetery. The Institute, Salt Lake City: 1974.
Genealogy CS 47 .G46 1974

Library of Michigan. Michigan Cemetery Atlas. Lansing: The Library, 1991.
Genealogy Oversize G 1411 .E6225 L5 1991
Michigan Documents Oversize G 1411 .E6225 L5 1991

Library of Michigan. Michigan Cemetery Source Book. Lansing: The Library of Michigan, 1994.
Genealogy G 1411 .E6225 L53 1994
Michigan Documents G 1411 .E6225 L53 1994

Mayer, Lance R. The Care of Old Cemeteries and Gravestones. Association for Gravestone Studies, 1980.
Genealogy NB 1855 .M3 1980

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Internet Resources

Interment.net
www.interment.net
Links to cemetery records and tombstone transcriptions for the United States and other countries. Searchable by country, state, county and cemetery.

Cemeteries and Funeral Homes
www.cyndislist.com/cemetery.htm
A list of links to help you find the location of cemeteries and funeral home information on the Internet.

USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project
www.usgwtombstones.org/index.html
Searchable database of transcriptions organized by state, county and cemetery. Includes some transcriptions for all states with contact information for the name of the project manager in each state. Also includes a few military and foreign cemetery transcriptions where Americans are buried.

Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid
www.islandnet.com/ocfa/homepage.html
Database of more than 2 million interments in Ontario.

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Updated 05/07/2009