Yesterday I mentioned the Dollarhide/Thorndale book, "Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses 1790-1920" as a great resource for family historians. On Tombstone Tuesday, I'd like to mention another valuable resource book, "Your Guide to Cemetery Research" by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack. An excerpt from her book is below:
Finding The Living In The Cemetery
So you thought you would find only your dead ancestors in the cemetery, huh? Not true. Visiting the cemetery around Memorial Day or a town's Decoration Day, you might find living relatives of your ancestors. If you can't visit the cemetery on one of those days, leave a note or ask someone in the area to do it for you. Professional genealogist Marcia K. Wyett wrote a note saying she was interested in contacting relatives of the person who was buried there, and left her name and number. On the envelope, she addressed it to "The Relatives of. . ." She put the note in a small self-sealing bag, bought an inexpensive plant to leave at the grave, and attached the note to the plant. (She thought this might look better than duct-taping a note directly to the tombstone.) The note attached to the plant worked like a charm. The Monday after Memorial Day, she got a call from a relative.
I think this is a great tip that could possibly lead to contact with that elusive cousin who has all the information you've been searching for. Sharon's book has lots of other helpful tips, and I highly recommend it!
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