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Sexton’s Records

A sexton is a caretaker of a cemetery whose role it is to oversee the maintenance and care of the cemetery, including the buildings and grounds. They may also be responsible for digging new graves. Sextons typically do not perform the actual maintenance, but they do ensure that the job gets done. Sextons are also responsible for keeping diligent records of those buried in the cemetery. These are called sexton’s records, and are kept by both public and private cemeteries. These records can provide valuable information to genealogists. Information that may be found on sexton’s records includes the name of … Continue reading →

African American Genealogy

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Yesterday a friend who is researching her African American genealogy contacted me, wondering if I have any tips for her, since this type of research is difficult due to the country’s horrible history of slavery. Unfortunately, never having done any African American genealogical research, I wasn’t of much help to her. However, I am inspired to broaden my knowledge and try to help her as best as I can. I am looking forward to her next email, which will provide me with the information I will need to see if I can discover any new information for her. I am … Continue reading →

Breaking Down Genenalogical Walls With Cluster Research

Many genealogists are only interested in researching their direct descendancy, which stands to reason. We often begin genealogy with the hopes of locating our ancestors, and not all the other relatives involved. I also recommend researching this way in the beginning to avoid overwhelming yourself with too many names, dates, and places. However, eventually you will hit a brick wall in your research. To me, this is where genealogy gets really interesting. I love a good mystery! One way to break through these walls is by performing cluster research. This form of research involves looking at the siblings, aunts, uncles, … Continue reading →

Visiting Cemeteries

One of my favorite things to do on a sunny spring afternoon is walk through local cemeteries in search of ancestors who are buried there. No, I have not gone insane, nor do I have an infatuation with the dead or morbidity. Cemeteries are actually a very peaceful place to take a walk, and there is information on tombstones that can come in useful for genealogical research. Information that can be found on tombstones includes birth and death information, a woman’s maiden name, parent’s names, town of origin, and military service. You may also discover the nearby grave of an … Continue reading →