UTGenWeb — Salt Lake County

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How to Photograph a Headstone Survey

1. Introduction
2. Background
3. Getting Started
4. Before You Begin
5. Tools You May Need
6. Locating the Site
7. Survey Procedures
8. Before You Leave
9. After You Return Home

My name is Andy E. Wold, and I am the current County Coordinator for Salt Lake county, Utah in the USGenWeb Project (www.usgenweb.org).  I don't consider myself an expert on headstone surveys, but I have had some experience in the area and would like to share my method with anyone that may be reading this guide.

When I came across the USGenWeb Project back in 1996, I had a question about the town that some of my ancestors lived in.  According to my family's family history, they lived in a town in Canada listed as "Bastard".  I wanted to verify that such a town existed, and found the USGenWeb and WorldGenWeb Projects.  From my apartment in Salt Lake City, Utah, I was able to find that there was such a town in Ontario province.  I thought that my ability to research from literally thousands of miles away was quite amazing, and considering that I lived in what is considered one of the genealogy hubs of the world, I thought that I might help this effort.

I started by looking at Missouri's USGenWeb site, since many of my early Mormon ancestors were from there, I saw that every single one of their counties was already being hosted by a county coordinator.  Thinking this to be the same case in Utah, I begrudgingly went to the Utah USGenWeb site.  To my amazement nine (nearly a third) of Utah's twenty-nine counties were not even being hosted!  I decided to make sure that anyone coming to my home state's site would have at least something available for their research.

Being that I am a computer "geek" who happens to also love doing genealogical research, I immediately contacted the UTGenWeb State Coordinator and asked to adopt the hosting responsibilities of the nine "orphan" counties.  By the time the response came, I had pages set up for all nine counties and began my endeavor as a County Coordinator for Daggett, Duchesne, Iron, Juab, Piute, Rich, Sevier, Wasatch, and Wayne counties.

Once I was established in my new assignment, I decided that I would try to at least visit every single cemetery in every county that I hosted.  If time would allow, I would even try to photograph every headstone in the smaller cemeteries, and maybe someday even photograph every single headstone in the counties.

My first cemetery research trip began to Duchesne county, a couple of hours drive west of Salt Lake City.  I purchased film for my camera, and set out for a day's adventure.  I located and photographed every public cemetery that I had been able to determine were in the county.  But, I had never considered how big some of the cemeteries could be.  When I returned, I was successful but somewhat disappointed at not being able to photograph all of the headstones.  Then I went to get the photographs developed, scanned and uploaded to my sites.  Boy, was I in for a shock — my adventure had cost me over $100 just in film development alone!

I learned from the experience that my photographing method needed to be more cost-effective for me, and that I needed to establish a set method of photographing a cemetery so that I could re-trace my steps through the cemetery while at my home in Salt Lake City.  With the help of a friend, I've even developed better methods of locating "forgotten" cemeteries, and preparing myself before the trip even begins.  These methods are what I will be sharing in this work.

Every journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  I believe that is an old Chinese proverb which I take very seriously in my research.  Before beginning a headstone survey, you must decide what are the goals, to whom is it directed, if you will publish it and how, and what you will need to prepare.  These concepts are covered in the following:

What is the goal?   If you only intend to locate your grandmother's headstone, will you stop there or search around for other unknown relatives?  You could miss possible relatives that you never knew existed.  Do you want to make record of every headstone?  If you do, plan on several days for any cemetery with more than 100 headstones.

To whom is it directed?   Is it only for your own family history?  If it is, you may never find long-distant cousins who may hold the genealogy answers you're looking for.  Is it for the general public?  If it is, you will need to give it what I call the "Martian Test" — if a Martian picked up your work, could they understand what was contained therein, and could they find someone in your work as easily as you would like to find your relatives in their works?

Has it already been surveyed?   Many cemeteries have already been surveyed, but even those could use an update now-and-then.  Previously published work is a great place for you to begin and quite a time-saver.

Will you publish the work, and how?   Two of the greatest tips I have learned have been: 1. Many places will "publish" your work on the internet for no cost to you (the USGenWeb being one of them); and 2. Any unbound published work donated to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, will be bound for free by them.  And, if you give them permission to microfilm it beforehand, they will make several copies to be borrowed by Family History Centers around the world, and even give you a copy of the microfilm.

What do you need to prepare?   Following this guide is one of the first steps.  No, it may not be the exact answer you are looking for, but I hope that you can learn from at least one of the ideas I share here.

Do as much preparation as you can before you walk out the door.  In my own research, I always do a few internet searches for cemeteries in the county, and individually map each one I plan on visiting, and even a few that I may visit if I have any extra time.  Some of the sites you may want to stop at are:

CyndisList.com

A collection of tens of thousands of genealogy related websites organized in a planned manner.

The Family History Libary's FamilySearch.org

Determine if the cemeteries have already been surveyed, and what other nearby towns are there.

United States Geological Survey (USGS)

Type in a county and state, then select "cemetery" as a Feature Type, and it will return every cemetery marked on USGS maps for that county.

TopoZone.com

Use this site as a reference for topographical maps.  You can search by feature type ("cemeteries"), Longitude-Latitude, etc.

TerraServer

Use this site as a reference for topographical maps as well as satellite photographs of the area.

MapBlast.com, MapQuest.com, Expedia.com, etc.

Create street-level maps around the cemetery, or even get turn-by-turn directions to the cemetery's address.  I rely heavily on the mileage given in these sites when I am attempting to locate a cemetery out in the middle of nowhere.

555-1212.com, AtHand.com, Yahoo Yellow Pages, etc.

Search for cemeteries, mortuaries, churches, or even florists to get help in locating "forgotten" cemeteries.

USGenWeb Sites

Determine if the county has the records of the cemetery online already.  Ask the county coordinator if anyone is currently surveying the cemetery, and who the contact for each cemetery is.

Prepare yourself with anything you feel you may need to make the trip comfortable and enjoyable for yourself.  Music, sodas, snacks, portable music players, umbrella, lawn chair, etc.

I suffer easily and greatly from sunstroke, so a hat which protects my head and neck is always ready in the trunk of my car for such excursions.  Some cemeteries are heavily overgrown, and a pair of lawn clippers or a gardening hand shovel are quite helpful in clearing away grass.  Even the cemeteries that are well maintained may have excessive lawn clippings on the stones, or they may be covered by a recent rain/dust storm — I bring along a painter's soft-bristled brush.

Bring along a notebook that you use specifically for headstone surveys — to record directions to the cemetery, a simple map of the cemetery (with North indicated), surrounding street names, details on headstones that don't photograph well, or to jot down which roll of film contains which cemeteries.

If you are going to photograph the stones, bring along enough film (or storage media for digital cameras) and enough batteries (and battery chargers if you will be staying for an extended period of time.)

In my case, I usually photographed cemeteries in one county, camped overnight at a state park, then photographed cemeteries in another county on my way home.  Camping gear and meals were necessary for my trips — including a Dutch Oven, tent, sleeping bag, bug repellent.  Luckily, most Utah state parks have access to AC power outlets, so I could recharge my batteries overnight.

My Tools:

• Sony Mavica MVC-FD71 Digital Camera — Saves digital images (JPG) onto standard 3-1/2" floppy diskettes (about 15 images per disk).  They can easily be tranferred to a regular computer, and the camera can automatically generate "e-mail" size thumbnail images as they are captured.  The camera is also great in that if I am at a family reunion and photograph family homes or family portraits, I can make a copy of the diskette within the camera and the person can take their copy home with them — without me having to use a laptop to copy it.
  
  Note: The FD71 model of camera is no longer sold by Sony, and has been replaced by the MVC-FD75.  The camera I will be buying this year (for about $825 plus a $100 rebate) is the MVC-CD300.  It saves the images to a mini (3-1/2") CD-R or CD-RW , and can hold over 100 times as many photographs as the floppy diskette model without having to exchange the diskettes every 15-or-so photographs.  It also has the ability to take MPEG videos to give a better "overview" of the cemetery and its location.
  
  
• Cemetery Notebook — For me, I found that a small (6"x9") hard-bound "journal" type notebook to be the best.  It keeps all of my cemetery surveys in one location, and the hard cover helps protect it better.  I prefer the ruled version (to help me keep my writing in straight lines), but you could use whatever style you prefer.
  
  
• Sun Hat — A requirement for me.  I found a cloth "fishing-style" hat with a full rim around it to protect my ears and neck from the sun.  It gets a little bit warm sometimes, but it sure beats suffering through a heat stroke later.
  
  
• Bug Repellant — Very necessary for work in cemeteries.  It's usually either mosquitoes or ticks trying to eat me alive during a survey.
  
  
• Lawn Clippers — Good for removing taller grass that the lawn mowers may have missed, or even to help remove overgrown sod from ground-level headstones.
  
  
• Painter's Brush — Great for clearing grass clippings, dust, or dirt from tombstones.  I made sure that the brush was stiff enough to be able to clear off dried mud, but soft enough not to scratch or damage the headstones.
  
  
  

• 100' Measuring Tape

  Measuring Wheel (model MM-12) Measuring Wheel (model MM-30)

  Measuring Tape or Wheel — I originally had a 100' measuring tape, but have since then found that a surveyor's measuring wheel would better suit my needs.  With the measuring tape, I would have to have someplace to "hook" the one end onto, and walk off the distance (usually more than 100'), find a reference point of where to continue from, then reel in the tape.  About half of the time the hook would not dislodge itself, and I would have to re-walk the 100' distance, unhook the tape, then re-walk the 100' distance again.  (Not my idea of fun.)  I would then measure the next 100' span until complete, then add the total distance (remembering to convert feet to inches.)  So, I bought a measuring wheel from an engineering / surveying supply store in Salt Lake City.  The salesman assured me that the 4" diameter wheel would do fine in grass, but I've found otherwise.  Since the 4" wheel model (MM-12) can't clear uncut grass in a varying surface of a cemetery, and it can't clear small pebbles on sidewalk or pavement, I'll go with the 12" diameter model (MM-30) instead.
  
  

The topographical maps and aerial photographs can easily help you locate most cemeteries, but I've come to learn (at least in Utah) that most cemeteries are:

1.  On a bluff or mountain overlooking the valley.
2.  Located on "Cemetery Road", "Cemetery Lane" or "Cemetery Drive".
3.  Located on the outskirts of town (at least in pioneer days).
4.  Don't fit into their surroundings well.

By the last statement, I meant that if you're out in the middle of a farming community full of Cottonwood trees and other local native trees, look for the tall pine trees — the cemetery will usually be there, especially if there are more than one, or if they are in straight lines.  Even a "forgotten" cemetery out in the middle of open desert will more often than not be the only place that tumbleweeds are collected by the remaining rusted barbed wire surrounding the cemetery.

Ask local residents if they know where the cemetery is.  If a convenience store clerk doesn't know, the local mortician or even the florist will know (they prepare floral arrangements for funerals.)  Ask the local Veterans of Foreign Wars, or the churches in the area.

1. Checklist:
   Directions Headstone Count Sketch Map Directory / Contact	Entrance Photo Overview Photo Survey Completed?

   Write down the directions to the cemetery.   Even if once you have found it, you need to retrace your way back out to the main road (or to the correct entrance.)
   
   
2. Photograph the main entrance sign.   It is easier to determine which cemetery you are looking at later if you have the sign to the cemetery separating them.
   
   
3. Take an overview photograph of the cemetery.   This will give others an example of the condition of the cemetery, and may help them locate it if they are having difficulty with your directions.
   
   
4. Determine if any Eagle Scout or community projects exist.   If a map of the cemetery exists, photograph it.  If an index to the burials exists, copy it or determine who may have made the index and how to get ahold of them later.
   
   
5. Sketch a simple map of the cemetery.   Draw the outline of the cemetery, include all entrances and buildings on the property, estimate distances (rows are generally 8-10' apart), include roads that divide the cemetery, indicate tree locations and be sure to indicate which direction is approximately North.
   
   Note: Also be sure to include any undeveloped portions of the cemetery on the map.
   
   
6. Estimate the number of headstones.   Take a guess as to how many headstones are in the cemetery, so that if you need to come back later to finish, you will have a better idea of the size of the cemetery, and how long it might take you to complete the survey.
   
   
7. For larger cemeteries, divide the cemetery into manageable sections.   Whether by road divisions, actual sections, tree lines, sprinkler lines — determine a name for each one, and record their boundaries and names in your cemetery notebook ("North Section", "Section Near the Maintenance Shed", etc.)
   
   
8. Select a row at one end of the cemetery.   Number this row #1, and indicate in your cemetery notebook where in the section this row is located (westernmost row, etc.)  I usually start at the westernmost row since it's headstones are usually the first ones you come across to read.
   
   
9. Take a section photo before the survey of that section.   I will usually take a photo at the end of the row I've determined in the next step in a "diagonal" manner.  For example, I will take a photograph facing south-east to include most of the section, so that someone else can determine from the photo which portion of the cemetery I was referring to.
   
   
10. Select one end of the row to begin at — photograph it.   I usually start at the north end (the same read-as-you-go thinking.)  I stand at the head of the row, and photograph an overall photo that shows the relationship of this row to surrounding rows, and a rough idea of the spacing between headstones.  It also gives others the order that I photographed the headstones.
    
    I will always take this photo in a vertical portrait layout (vs. a horizontal landscape layout), to help me distinguish it when I go over all of the photos and to indicate that I have started a new row.
    
    
11. Photograph the whole headstone.   Take a photograph that includes the whole headstone.  I have found that standing about 8' away (within the distance of the next row) gives me the distance I  need for most headstone sizes with the zoom capabilities of my digital camera.  Try to include the base or support concrete as well (in case the headstone is misplaced or damaged at a later time.)
    
    
12. Photograph any details on the stone face.   If the headstone's details cannot be read *easily* on the photo, take additional detail photos for each portion that you will need.  For example, if a single headstone contains a married couple and their child, I will take a detailed photo of each person's information, and include any marriage or other information in the photos.  Sometimes it is easy to identify relatives simple by the details included in their headstone.  For example, if three "Smith" family headstones include a small Catholic cross in a cemetery that is mostly Mormon, you can assume that the three Smiths are related somehow.
    
    
13. Photograph any details on the reverse of the stone.   Many times a couple's children will be listed, or their marriage date, or their parents' names, etc.  Photograph the reverse side details before moving on to the next headstone — not as difficult to forget which Smith couple these Smith children belong to.  If a stone has more than two faces (obelisks, pillars, statues, etc.), photograph them in the same direction (I prefer my read-as-you-go counter-clockwise manner.)
    
    
14. Photograph any footstones, etc.   Some burials will include a footstone — a smaller stone with fewer details, but sometimes it's the only location of their middle initial, or their year of birth.  Also include a photo that shows the location in relationship to the main stone.  Be sure to photograph these as well before moving on to the next headstone.
    
    
15. If there is any doubt of the clarity of your photos, write down the wording of the headstone.   Sometimes the condition of the headstones, overgrowth, or even sunlight or shadows may cause the photographs to be unreadable.
    
    
16. At the end of the row, begin the next row in reverse direction.   An up-one-row down-the-next-row method is probably the most efficient.  I had to learn the hard way that always starting on the north end usually meant that you were slowly walking down the row one headstone at a time, but to begin the next row, you had to walk all the way back up to the beginning (which was usually found to be slightly uphill.)
    
    
17. Take the row photo, and continue ...

Be sure to record the date of the survey, and whether you completed the survey, or where you finished off.

ABOVE ALL, LEAVE THE CEMETERY IN THE SAME OR BETTER CONDITION THAN YOU FOUND IT.

The single most important part of the Survey Process is to share the information with others.  One of the easiest methods is to e–mail a copy of your files to the USGenWeb County Coordinator (www.usgenweb.org) for the county that the cemetery is located in.  From personal experience, these are one of the greatest donations a county coordinator can receive.  Send an additional copy to the USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project (www.rootsweb.com/~cemetery), the State / County historical society or archives, and the Family History Library.