Athens, Fulton County - This rare real photo postcard shows H. O. Pontius & Son Monuments of Mentone delivering two tombstones to Hoovers Cemetery (also known as Mount Hope and Athens Cemetery). The delivery truck has a 1916 license plate, which coincides with the death year of Meda Ellen (Kinzie) Hartman (who died of uremic poisoning at only age 26 on May 29, 1916) and Lewis E. White (age 51, who died suddenly at his home on April 30, 1916).
Our thanks to Harley Sheets for sharing more of his wonderful postcard collection. We appreciate all of the support that we get from members of the Indianapolis Postcard Club!
Fitting right in with the early Indiana industry theme of Archaeology Month is the Hindostan whetstone industry. Sturgeon et al. (2020) in their excellent Storymap (Indiana’s Hindostan Whetstone Industry) state that “Hindostan whetstone is a thinly layered siltstone that was quarried in southern Indiana throughout the 19th and 20th centuries for use as sharpening stones and gravemarkers. Produced exclusively from northwestern Orange County, Indiana, this abundant material supplied the state’s first mineral industry and was exported throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.” They also state that “The uniform grain size, fine layering, and even cementation of Hindostan whetstone made it a perfect medium for grave markers. . . . [and] more than 1,800 whetstone tombstones have been documented in 30 counties throughout Indiana, as well as in cemeteries in Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio.”
Reference Cited
Sturgeon, P. R., Powell, R. L., Hill, B.T., Meyer, R. A., and Johnson, M. R.
Gravestones are usually made of granite, marble, or limestone, but ocassionally you'll come across one made of zinc. In 1870, zinc headstones grew in popularity for being more durable as it did not oxidize or have issues with lichen and moss. They have a grey-blue tone to them, which makes them easily recognizeable. However, the company that made them eventually stopped after WWI. Next time you're in a cemetery, see if you can find one of these "zinkies"!
Did you know that it's National Ghost Hunting Day ?
Whether you plan to go sleuthing in cemeteries or just need some Halloween decorating inspiration, you learn how to identify 19th-century gravestones and monuments with our Cooper Hewitt Library trade literature: White Bronze for the hereafter
Have you ever tried to find a gravestone in a large cemetery - one with tens of thousands of gravestones? If so, you know how time-consuming, and even frustrating, it can be. Unless you use the BillionGraves app! Then it’s easy! Do a search with the app, walk toward the marker on the BillionGraves map, and BOOM, within minutes you are there!
It’s unbelievable how many people have told us that they wish they knew about the BillionGraves app before they spent half the day hunting for their ancestor’s gravestone!
Here’s how to find a gravestone in 4 easy steps:
1) Go to your app store and download the BillionGraves app. Set up an account.
2) At the cemetery, open the main screen of the BillionGraves app and tap on “find headstone”.
3) Enter a name. Options will appear. Tap on one of the results. Then tap on the name of the cemetery.
4) A map will open with an orange GPS marker on the gravestone for the name you have searched. Your own location will be marked with a blue dot, indicating the GPS location of the phone in your hand. As you walk, the blue dot will move. Go toward the orange GPS marker on your screen until you reach the gravestone!
Have you used the BillionGraves app to find a gravestone or to help someone else find one? Please share your story in the comments below.
BillionGraves needs volunteers to take photos of gravestones! You could help others find their ancestors! Get started by checking out the link in our bio. https://BillionGraves.com/volunteer
BillionGraves records are now automatically matched to FamilySearch!
In the past, after volunteers transcribed a record, they had to: 1) wait for a potentially matching record on FamilySearch to appear 2) compare the two records 3) decide whether or not they appeared to be the same person 4) select “accept” or “reject”.
But things are different now. They are easier and better. On every transcription form, there is a notice that says, “Records will be matched with FamilySearch automatically.”
BillionGraves is taking care of all the matching to FamilySearch so all transcribers have to do is record and/or verify the information that is written on the gravestone. This makes the record pages load faster too.
FamilySearch provides free resources to help millions of people around the world discover their heritage and make family connections. FamilySearch and BillionGraves have been working together for more than a decade and we will continue to do so.
BillionGraves needs volunteers to take photos of gravestones! You could help others find their ancestors! Get started by checking out this link: https://BillionGraves.com/volunteer
Would you like to volunteer to take photos of gravestones?
This year's RootsTech family history conference is completely virtual and free to access for the first time ever! Visit rootstech.org to check out some of the many classes offered, including "Getting the Most Out of Find a Grave" which provides a quick overview of search tips, ways to join the community of contributors, and a look into the Find a Grave app: https://www.familysearch.org/.../getting-the-most-out-of...
Over the past 25 years, the Find a Grave community has worked together to build an amazing collection of gravesite information. In this session, we'll share some tips for how you can get the most out of Find a Grave through searching the existing information and by becoming part of the community of contributors. This keynote presentation was part of RootsTech Connect 2021.
From Quarry to Cemetery Monuments Ordering Monumental / Cemetery Stones from Catalogs / Price Lists, etc. on Stone Quarries and Beyond has lots of links to more information.
Understanding Gravestone Symbols posted Aug 18, 2020 by Allen County Public Library on YouTube Once you understand the meaning behind gravestone symbols, walking through a cemetery becomes an adventure! You will catch glimpses into the lives and legacies of those buried there like never before. Come learn about more than 100 gravestone symbols from BillionGraves’ amazing cemetery database. From angels to crowns and broken obelisks to weeping willows, you will understand the messages your ancestors were leaving on their departed loved one’s headstones. It will open your eyes to a whole new world and your trips to the cemetery will never be the same again! Presented by: Cathy Wallace, Special Projects Coordinator, BillionGraves. Learn more at The Genealogy Center at the
Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Genealogy: Finding Your Story with BillionGraves posted Jun 17, 2020 by Allen County Public Library on YouTube If headstones could talk, they would have a lot of stories to tell. But they can't, so BillionGraves is the next best thing! BillionGraves is the world's largest GPS-linked cemetery data resource. As photos are taken with the BillionGraves app, each gravestone is automatically tagged with GPS coordinates. The data is then made readily available on BillionGraves’ website for genealogical research for millions of families around the globe for generations to come. Presented by Cathy Wallace. Learn more at The Genealogy Center at the
Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
AAGSFW Research Tools & Tips: Cemeteries, Tombstones and Funeral Homes published January 4, 2022 by AAGSFW Fort Wayne on YouTube In this month's Research Tools & Tips training, Dr. Al Brothers - Vice-Chair of the AAGSFW - explains how to gather and use information from cemeteries, tombstones and funeral homes to further your genealogy research. Watch how he used them in his own research! Add more tools to your research toolbox with AAGSFW! AAGSFW Fort Wayne has a growing collection of videos on YouTube and also on their Facebook Video page.
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