Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Tombstone Tuesday - Fritts Headstone

Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879



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Tombstone Tuesday - Fritts, Mary S. Rose

Mary S. Rose
Wife of
Carmin P. Fritts
Oct. 28, 1879 - Aug. 26, 1948



Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879
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Tombstone Tuesday - Kerr, Herbert H.

Herbert H.Kerr
Aug. 13, 1905 - May 15, 1986



Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879
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Tombstone Tuesday - Kerr, Edna F. Fritts

Edna F. Fritts
Wife Of
Herbert H. Kerr
Sept. 5, 1906 - May 19, 1965




Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879
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Tombstone Tuesday - Fritts, Carmin P

Carmin P. Fritts
Aug. 16, 1975 - Jan. 11, 1951



Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879

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Tombstone Tuesday - McNear, Alberta M. Erbach

Alberta M. Erbach
wife of
Harold T. McNear
1906 - 1984








Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879
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Tombstone Tuesday - Erbach, Albert V.

Albert V. Erbach
1878 - 1941





Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879

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Tombstone Tuesday - Erbach, Nora M Dunn

Nora M. Dunn
Wife of
Albert V. Erback
1881 - 1953



Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879
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Tombstone Tuesday - Tranquality Cemetery, Green Township, New Jersey

Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879



Green Township
http://www.greentwp.com/

Interactive map and GPS data:
GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 40.94924, Longitude: -74.80394

Intersection of Kennedy Road and Maple Lane

Cemetery Transcripts
http://www.sussexcountyhistory.org/pascal/Tranqudx.html
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Headstones - Iconography and Symbolism

In looking through some old bookmarks in my browser, I re-discovered a list from Cyndislist that has a really great list of links to websites that discuss Iconography and Symbolism. This list can be found here http://www.cyndislist.com/cemetery.htm#Iconography. Rather then reinventing this list, a summary is here.

Iconograph; Symbolism

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Headstone - Symbols

With the encouragement from some friends, I will be posting some images of headstones and will attempt to provide some information as to what the symbol on the headstone is all about. The pictures using the "Symbol" TAG will not include genealogy information, though there may be some. The cemetery where the image can be found will be included in the TAG for the Blog entry .


There are many other websites and bloggers who have done this, and links will be provided along the way.


A group of Genealogists who are active in "Second Life", and online community, have been building, within Second Life, resources for genealogists. The Tag "Symbols", on this Blog will be used as a reference for the Second Life community.



For further information on this, please check out:



Second Life



and search for Genealogy, Family History, Live Roots, to mention a few.



Within Second Life, there are scheduled Online Chats and presentations by genealogists, including an open forum to help some of us 'unwind'.



Enjoy.

Headstones - Hearts

While taking pictures in the Union Cemetery, Hackettstown, New Jersey, for this Blog, a couple of similar headstones were easy to spot. They were not all together, but around this cemetery





Union Cemetery
Mountain Avenue
Hackettstown, NJ 07840

(908) 852-3800
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Headstones - Occupations

Various Occupations reflected on Headstones


Not knowing that family, it would appear that the there is Church related occupation






The Donaldson's have a family farm, just outside of Hackettstown, in Mansfield Township





Not knowing this family, but this headstone is in the shape of a tree trunk.




Must be a golfer. Right across the street from this cemetery is a Golf Driving Range that is very near to a Golf Course.

Union Cemetery
Mountain Avenue
Hackettstown, NJ 07840

(908) 852-3800

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Thursday, June 4, 2009

Mapping Your Route

The Hooked on Ancestry group on Facebook posted this message to the group:


Mapping Your Route:


When you’re visiting an ancestral hometown, you’ll want to map out cemeteries, churches and other locations you’d like to visit. Online mapping services like MapQuest (http://email.ancestry.com/cgi-bin13/DM/y/n5x50ZPyZl0HHn0Lt0Gs) or GoogleMaps (http://email.ancestry.com/cgi-bin13/DM/y/n5x50ZPyZl0HHn0joL0GZ) can help with this. For some features, you may want to try the U.S. Geological Service’s Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).



Don’t overlook the local municipality websites for other interesting information about the area. They may have detailed local maps and other helpful information for planning your trip.




I use Outlook to track the Cemeteries that I have visited or plan to visit. In the blog entry:

Tombstone Tuesday and Find-A-Grave Follow Up

I talked about what I track in EXCEL, but I also record the information in Microsoft Outlook. Most of the information on a cemetery that you will find on this Blog, under the Cemetery Listing and what I would post on Find-A-Grave I put in outlook. The nice thing is the there is a Mapping Feature built into it. so the direction are easy to optain and print. The information on that Cemetery can also be printed directly from Outlook. I put this into my Cemetery Notebook.



Before I go visit a cemetery, I make sure that Outlook is up to date, I have directions and a print out from EXCEL to see who I already have and any notation that I might want to re-take a picture.



I then make a list minute check at Find-A-Grave to get a list of internments and any photo requests that might be listed there. At this point, I don't "claim" the assignment, but will do that if I am able to find the headstone requested.



If the town that I am visiting has any local Church, Historical Society, Library with a Genealogy section, that might be of interest, I enter that into Outlook as well and print what I need. The printed paper lets me "take notes".



Just a couple of thoughts on planning a research trip.

Cemetery Visit Planning

The Mapping Your Route question fit right in to an Online Chat that a number of us participate it. All that were on the chat agreed that the online discussion could be posted on Second Life.


This past week (Tuesday Evening, June 2th) the Just Genealogy Second Life group had an online Chat on Cemeteries.


I lead the Chat and thought I would summarize the Chat, based on the format that I used to expand on what to consider when preparing for a Cemetery Visit.


As the group was gathering, another member of the Chat asked this question:


Did you know we have a name for what we are?

Taphophilia.

ORIGIN:

From the Greek words taphos, meaning "tomb" or "sepulcher" and philia, meaning "attraction or affinity to something, in particular the love or obsession with something"

Before I get to far I should note that I am new at this, so please bear with me as we Chat about Cemeteries and Genealogy. What I hope to do, this evening, is to post some questions, then Chat about them for a few minutes. I will post some websites for you to look at along the way. I am NOT an expert, but a learner

If you want to find a little more about me, The Graveyard Rabbit Association posted some information here:

http://www.thegraveyardrabbit.com/2009/05/meet-russ-worthington-author-of-my.html


1 - What do you do on a cemetery visit?
  • Photograph
  • Sweat :)
  • Weep?
  • Walk a lot
  • Pause for a Vet
  • Go through the records. If I am able to get there to do anything

2 - What do you take with you?
  • Spray bottle, towel
  • Camera - Some mentioned Digital others mentioned Film
  • One even mentioned Black and White file for a historical society
  • Photos
  • Brush
  • Foil
  • Take away trach if I find it
  • Insect repellent
  • Light weight paper and pencil for possible rubbings
  • Notebook
  • Money to pay for any copies
  • Sheets of paper and charcoal
  • Mini tape recorder
  • Antihistamine
  • Pruning shears, to cut back the overgrown plants
  • Cell Phone or Walkie-Talkie

3 - How do you record information?
  • Paper and Pencil / Pen
  • Mini recorder
  • Lots of Pictures - many of the same headstone for best use of shadows

4 - How do you share information found?
  • One has a very large cemetery / headstone database, so "My dbase" about 10 gigs
  • findagrave.com
  • interment.net
  • USGenweb has a cemetery transcription project

5 - What do you do with the information that is found?
  • Transcribe
  • Check facts
  • Birth and death dates
  • Relationships
  • Veteran status
  • Symbols
  • Firefighers, Police, Military


6 - Would like to talk a little about Headstone Maintenance

7 - What Tricks do you use to capture the information that you want?
  • Tin foil to bring out the inscriptions on a very worn stone
  • Water and a Soft Brush
  • Piece of cardboard wrapped in (cheap) foil. Impromptu mirror for throwing light into shadows
  • Foil - Gently wrap it around the stone and press into the carving

8- Some Resources
By no means is this complete, but for me, it's a starting point and reminder for my next visit to a cemetery.

Happy Hunting (Ancestors, that is)

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Tombstone Tuesday - Purdy, Elias A.

In Memory of
Elias A. Purdy
Who departed this lifeApril 2, 1816
Aged 32 Years 1 Month & 5 Days
Blessed are the dead ... Lord




Old St. Peters Episcopal Church
Oregon Road
Peekskill, NY 10566

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Tombstone Tuesday - Haight, Samuel

In Memory of
Samuel Haight
Who departed this life
July 30th 1814
Aged 68 ___





Old St. Peters Episcopal Church
Oregon Road
Peekskill, NY 10566
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Tombstone Tuesday - Old St. Peters, Peekskill, NY

Old St. Peters Episcopal Church
Oregon Road
Peekskill, NY 10566

(914) 737-2929




Old St. Peters Episcopal Church
Oregon Road
Peekskill, NY 10566


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Tombstone Tuesday - Case, N.J.

N.J.C.
within the Case Plot



North Hardyston Cemetery
North Church Road (Route 94)
Hamburg, Sussex County, New Jersey 07419
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Tombstone Tuesday - Case, F.S.

F.S.C.
within the Case Plot


North Hardyston Cemetery
North Church Road (Route 94)
Hamburg, Sussex County, New Jersey 07419
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Tombstone Tuesday - Predmore, Jousha (2)

Joshua Predmore
Died Aug. 14, 1866
Aged 16 Years, 2 Mo. __ Days




North Hardyston Cemetery
North Church Road (Route 94)
Hamburg, Sussex County, New Jersey 07419
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