I have been surveying cemeteries in 3 counties for about 7 years or so. I've marked down at least 10,000 graves so far. I would very much like to share what I have learned.

Standard Abbreviations
I use "S.A." for Still Alive. That way visitors know that there is a stone out there, but the owner isn't dead yet (most common when only one spouse is dead).

USA = United States Army
KIA = Killed In Action
USMC = United States Marine Corps
USCG = United States Coast Guard
USN = United States Navy
USAF = United States Air Force

m1, m2, etc = First Marriage, Second Marriage, etc.

With multiple markers, family, military, etc., sometimes the dates differ so be extra careful and note any differences.

If you find that the information on the stone differs from what may be remembered by family or by what is recorded, make a notation, write it in a different color, etc. This information can be added to web pages, databases, etc. in a separate column so that researchers get both sets of information.

KEEP ALL ORIGINAL SURVEYS! This can be helpful if someone asks to prove you surveyed a cemetery and didn't just copy someone else's work.

If a stone is hard to read or if there is only a funeral home marker, note its location in relationship to other graves around it - to the left or Joe Smith, behind John Doe, etc. When the marker is gone, you will be able to pinpoint the grave AND prove that it is there.

In a pinch, cornstarch works well in place of flour or chalk. I have always used flour.

My only "surveying" bag contains the following:

1. Bag of flour.
2. Baby wipes (for cleaning up your hands!)
3. Toilet paper for obvious reasons.
4. Plenty of extra drinking water (one with a strap so I can carry it out of the way).
5. Comfortable cloths with plenty of pockets. It's a pain to run back and forth to the car.
6. Bug spray.
7. Clipboard (if someone else has already done a survey, you can print it out, carry it along, and make corrections and additions to the original. Done this way, you will make less of your own mistakes). My clipboard is the commercial type that opens up to hold extra paper, pens, etc.
8. Hat (I am in SouthEast Georgia, after all!)
9. Some type of first aid products such as band aids and sting relief in case of bee or wasp stings.

Surveys really are best if completed the same day. Large cemeteries, of course, generally can't follow that advice. If you must stop, mark your leaving off place VERY clearly. Graves can be missed if you don't remember exactly where you left off.

Bring a sack lunch! Keep the lunch in the car - if stray animals do come around they may go after you for your sandwich. I sometimes bring dog biscuits with me just in case. A dog treat can make a friend out of a hungry dog and maybe save you from aggression. Sometimes it won't work - you have to make your own choice on this one. I don't handle stray dogs - if they want a treat I toss it at them to keep the distance between us. Don't turn your back on them or run from them - their natural instinct is to chase. With a firm voice, tell them "No!" if they come to close. Pound your feet if need be. If you act fearful - they will pick up on that. If the dog doesn't leave, walk calmly to your car (keeping him in visual contact). Save the survey for another day and call animal control to pick the animal up.

My sturdy belt carries the following (my husband calls it my "Batman Utility Belt"):
1. Cell phone for emergencies.
2. Digital camera.
3. Machete if working in the woods.
4. GPS (Global Positioning Satellite tool)
5. Tape recorder.
6. In hot weather, a small towel to wipe off sweat!
7. Gloves in the winter. If my hands are cold I can hardly read my own writing!
8. Pepper spray in case of dog, bad guys, etc.

Seems like a lot, but it really doesn't add much weight. A good fanny pack can carry a lot of this stuff.

When I surveyed the largest local cemetery (about 2500 graves), I printed out the last survey the local historical society conducted. It was about 50 years old. I printed it in alphabetical order by last name then first name. As this document was about 30-40 pages long it would be awkward to look for a name - even alphabetically. So I added tabs down the sides of the document listing "A" "B", etc. This way when I'm looking for John Smith I don't have to thumb through the document - I just find that tab.

I have a column to check off the name, note location, additional information, etc. This cemetery took me two weeks to finish. At night I would update my database and print out only those graves I have yet to survey. This would reduce my paper work by several pages a day. By the end of the survey I was working with only 3-4 left from the original survey.
This greatly increased my speed!

For location, since there were no regular rows or plat information, I broke up the cemetery into four parts. North West (NW), South West (SW), North East (NE), South East (SE). If anyone used my survey they could at least narrow their search to a corner. I used natural land marks to break up the cemetery - old section, new section, black, white, dirt roads, etc.

I STRONGLY urge the use of a database to keep track of information.

I use Microsoft Access. If anyone wants a blank copy of this database (columns created, no data entered) I'd be happy to make it available.

It is soooooo much easier to customize this data when in a database. You can print it out by name, by date, by location - pretty much anyway you can think of. This is nice if you are going to share the data. If someone only wants the SMITHS, you just print those.

In my database, I have numbered the cemeteries 1 through (whatever). I don't waste room adding in a long cemetery name. Oak Grove is #112. I have a separate table listing the cemeteries and their number (as well as location, date surveyed, etc.) This will make the database file-size smaller. This allows me to put ALL of the surveyed information into one table - instead of one table per cemetery. I can run a query that will allow me to see the result from only one cemetery, five of them, or all of them. This also made it easier when I put my database on-line.

You can search my database, from my web site, by several different criteria. The information is not static like many surveys are once they are on the web. If I make additions to my database, I don't change the web pages at all. I simply upload the new database to my web site. The pages are made "on the fly" - this saves me a lot of time. (The program I used for that is Cold Fusion - you don't have to have it to see the data on my web site.)

Sorry for running my mouth (fingers). If some of this isn't clear, feel free to ask me about it via the list or personally.

Take care,

Tara Fields

The Crypt
Free Genealogy and History of Camden and Charlton Counties, GA
http://www.camdencounty.org

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