Getting the Most from a Grave Marker

Part One:  Visiting the Cemetery

When my grandparents on both sides decided to emigrate from Great Britain to Canada, they left behind much more than their relatives and their homeland.  A few thousand miles migration created a dissection in our family and family history.  For me, genealogy has two geographical and temporal parts:  our local, accessible Canadian family history beginning from 1951/1957, and our less accessible English history pre-dating the Crapper/Dell emigration.  Practically, this has affected the experiential side of genealogy for me.  For instance, while I may be able to see an ancestors’ grave photographically or know their plot and interment number, I have no opportunity to experience visiting their resting place.  The “hands on” approach to family history isn't available for the English period.

A study of my wife’s ancestry, however, has provided that much needed experience.  Her family has centuries old roots in Newfoundland, and in the summer when we vacation there I immerse myself in local genealogy.  I spend hours strolling the cemeteries, discovering and photographing her ancestors’ markers.  It has become both a joy and a passion for me – a privilege that I do not have from my own ancestry.  So, without any more blibber blabber, here are some basics that I have learned from the many hours spent in Newfoundland cemeteries.

1:  When possible, choose the best time and conditions for your cemetery visit.  The natural subdued lighting of an overcast day is more suitable for photographing markers than a clear, sunny day.  Be aware of the position of the sun.  Photographing a marker with the sun behind it can cause a camera to compensate for the sun’s brightness, resulting in a darker picture.

2:  When you arrive at a cemetery, save your current location in your gps.  You will be thankful you did should you choose to visit the hard to find cemeteries at a later date!

3:  Remember to take contextual photographs. 

·         Take 360 degree photographs of the landscape surrounding the cemetery.  Doing so provides a visual, geographical context to the cemetery.  These photographs can also be valuable to other genealogists who may not have opportunity to visit the location.  Remember that the landscape around you is that which your family saw, as they stood around your ancestor’s grave the day he or she was buried.

·         Take contextual pictures of your ancestors’ markers.  What graves lie to the left and right of your ancestor?  What markers lie in the rows succeeding and proceeding that of your relative?  Those who are buried near your ancestor may be important to your family and family research.

4:  Photographing the marker.

·         Choose your perspective.  I prefer to photograph markers “dead on” instead of from the “looking down” perspective.  Keeping the lens parallel to the marker produces a relatively square image, reducing the perspective distortion in which the top of the marker is wider than the bottom.  Photographing a polished stone marker from a slight left or right angle eliminates a reflection image of the photographer in the stone.

·         Choose your picture settings.  To capture the highest quality photographs, I use the largest recording pixel my camera allows (3648 x 2736 or “Large”), with a compression setting of Superfine.  The result is a larger picture, with finer detail that allows greater viewing magnification.

·         Strive for the sharpest picture.  Where possible, use a tripod in conjunction with your camera’s self-timer to eliminate image blurring vibrations.  I have found that using a flash, even on a bright day, yields sharper images than those taken without a flash.

·         Fill the lens with the marker.  Position the bottom of the marker at the bottom edge of the photograph, and the top at the top edge of the photograph.  Filling the lens allows for a more thorough analysis when viewing the marker using greater magnification.

·         Take at least two pictures per marker.  Yes, it is time consuming, but it is better to have a good photograph of your marker than to wish you had a good photograph of your marker!

5:  Take time to photograph every available marker – related and unrelated.

·         These photographs become an historical resource that give back to the genealogical community.  They can be submitted to online genealogy websites, local historical societies, or to individual family historians looking for their ancestor’s grave markers.

·         These photographs preserve history.  Stone is not eternal.  Time and weather destroy markers and erode inscriptions.

·         These photographs aid future genealogical research.  Subsequent research of your ancestry could reveal previously unknown relations, with different surnames, buried in the same cemetery.  In this case, you would already have a photograph on file of that newly discovered ancestor.

Whatever methods you develop or use, don’t forget to enjoy the landscape, enjoy the moment, and don’t forget to connect with your ancestor in your own special way.  Remember, the marker you see could be the very same your ancestors saw.  Just a few feet of soil separates you from your relative.  It is almost as if the grass underneath your feet is still damp with the mourner’s tears.