Cemetery records include tombstones and cemetery burial records. Apart from giving you a sense of physical connection to your ancestors, these resources can help you identify names, birthdates and death dates, relatives, neighbors, and more. To get the most out of these records, you’ll want to understand what you can find and how to find it.

What you can find

Tombstones and cemetery memorials can include a lot of family history information: 

• Maiden names
• Birth and death dates
• Relationships
• Town of origin
• Military service
• Religious affiliation

Check with the cemetery office to see if other family members are buried in your relative’s plot but not listed on the tombstone. The cemetery office can often provide more details that the tombstone doesn’t mention.

Near your relative’s grave, you might discover siblings who died in infancy or at a very young age. These previously unknown siblings could lead you to more death records that give you valuable information that you didn’t find in the record of your relative

Locating the cemetery

Multiple resources can help you figure out which cemeteries you should explore to find your relative’s grave.

Death certificates and obituaries frequently contain the name of a cemetery.

Family scrapbooks or mementos might include mass cards, funeral programs, or prayer cards that indicate the cemetery where one or more family members were buried.

Online collections of death records are another good resource. Here are three options:

• On Ancestry, you can search for cemetery records and other death-related records through the category page for Death, Burial, Cemetery, & Obituaries
• On the Cyndi’s List website, check the Cemeteries and Funeral Homes page for online cemetery records.

Find a Grave is a good resource for locating a relative's final resting place. It provides more than 115 million online memorials. Compiled by volunteers, the memorials often include burial information, photos, and names of relatives. Even if your relative’s memorial isn’t currently available, you might be able to find the cemetery through the cemetery search.

Local resources can help you find cemeteries. Genealogical societies sometimes compile cemetery indexes and post them online. So check local libraries and organizations to see what work has already been done.

Maps can help you find cemeteries near your ancestor’s residence. If you don't have a death certificate that lists the name of the cemetery, map out the cemeteries near where your relative lived. Try out mapping tools like Google Maps, which can pinpoint a location and search for nearby places. Use that function to search for cemeteries in the area. After you find the names of nearby cemeteries, find out what year they were established to see how the date compares with your ancestor’s death date.

Internet searches can often turn up information about cemeteries in your ancestor’s last residence. Google “cemetery” and the name of a likely city, town, or county.

Ecclesiastical websites can help if you know your relative’s religious affiliation. For example, the website for the Archdiocese of Chicago provides genealogical resources that include a list of the locations of Chicago Catholic cemeteries.