I don't remember where I'm supposed to be, as far as things I've said I'd post about, but a recent spate of FAG/genealogy has prompted me to write this post. So, I'll figure out where I'm supposed to be when someone reminds me. In other words, if you've been waiting for me to post about something then you better tell me what it is or it prolly ain't never gonna happen.

 

Anyway.

 

When I make memorials on Find A Grave I try not to make memorials for people whose location I don't know. Doing so can create a whole host of problems, not least of which being someone duplicating because they are merely cataloging a cemetery. So I try to only do it when there's a better than good chance that I'll find them...at some point. Obviously, some take longer than others simply because not every cemetery has their records available online.

 

And that's the point here, what do you do when you can't find the records online? As stated, not all cemeteries have their records available online. This is annoying and results in extra time consuming work. Yes, I know it takes time to put all those records online...blah, blah, blah...hire me; I'll do the work for you.

 

The next issue is with cemeteries that don't give out information to people who are not directly related. I get it, it's a privacy thing. Blah, blah, blah...*freedom of information diatribe*

 

The question: how to handle this situation. The answer, also fairly simple. The results...variable.

 

Obviously, the best option is to travel to the location of the records (or the cemetery, if that's what you're after), but if they're not in your general geographical location this can be a serious inconvenience. So the next best option is to contact the organization that has the records.

 

As I said, this can have variable results. Interestingly enough, the least helpful people I've come across are in Sweden...imagine that. For example, I've added a few "famous" people (again, if I had to add them, then they're not that famous) that I didn't know the locations of. I asked a guy if he had any pictures of his (self-professed) good friend Mieszko Talarczyk, and he said no. I asked the same guy if he knew where David Parland is buried and he told me he had no idea. Maybe that's all true, but I would have thought he could have asked someone. I asked another guy if he knew where Jon Nödtveidt is buried and was told he had been cremated so no burial. *sigh* Luckily, I'm resourceful. Suspecting that both men had to have been buried somewhere in the Stockholm area I checked the Stockholm grave search, and there they were. If you're looking for people in major metropolitan areas of Sweden you can try the various "hittagraven" searches. If you're looking in other areas of Sweden then try this one.

 

Also in unhelpful Sweden, I have been trying to locate Wilhelm Jonsson, who I am convinced is buried in his home town of Häggum, but when I contacted the Häggum Församling (parish), I was directed to check the Landsarkivet in Göteborg...I tried to explain to them that I can't go there (they don't actually have the records online, they only have an index of the records online - to look at the information in the records you have to physically go there), so they just gave me the phone number instead. *sigh*

 

Norway is better; at least they have a lot of records online now. I've used two different ones with quite good success, band have, thus far, had no reason to contact the locals. The first resource is the Norwegian state church. Their searches are parceled out to the parishes associated with the cemetery (in other words, if you're looking for Ski cemetery then you'll need to go to the Ski website). You can locate the parish you need through the Norwegian Church website. The second resource is called DIS-Norge, Slekt og Data, and the grave search is found here. This search is nice because it lets you search by a number of different parameters including first name only (most searches insist you have the last name, or some portion thereof, that's a problem when you don't know how the cemetery spelled their last name or you're looking for someone who may have had a different last name than what's in the record).

 

What if you're looking in Australia? Most regions or metro areas manage the cemeteries in their areas. Find out which region your cemetery is in and then check the website for that regional council. Many councils have an online search, and those that don't can be contacted. For example, I've been trying to find the location of Marc Hunter, former vocalist of the Aus/NZ band Dragon, but the cemetery search I was using didn't have him listed. I knew he had to be somewhere in the vicinity of his home (Kiama), but there are multiple cemeteries in that area. I also couldn't be sure he had even been buried (this is an issue I have with cremation - if the family/friends keep the "body" then nobody else can visit them). I finally had confirmation that he'd been buried when pictures of his stone showed up just a few days ago. I found the Kiama Council website and sent them an email asking if he's in Kiama Cemetery. Thankfully, the folks in Kiama are a far sight more helpful than the folks in Sweden, and I was told that he's not in Kiama, but Gerringong.

 

New Zealand is much the same as Australia. I found a great list of all the district council sites that offer cemetery searches with links to those searches.

 

I've also contacted parishes or dioceses in England and Canada. When looking to contact a Catholic parish or diocese you'll typically find a contact form on the website of the parish or diocese. Fill it out by saying you're trying to confirm whether "so-and-so" is buried in their cemetery (don't be scared, they have no idea who you are) and it will be forwarded to the person in charge of the cemetery. Be sure to give birth and death information so if there are multiple people with that name they can find the one you're actually looking for. This saves them time and makes it more likely they'll answer. Anglican and/or Church of England parishes/dioceses are the same way. I've had 33% success rate with this (the "failure" was a CofE parish in England that directed me to a CDRom - purchasable from the local historical society), and even the "failure" was met with at least some idea of what I could do to find the information (I just hate the fact that records have to be bought...).

 

So, if you need to find cemetery records (and remember, cemetery records are great, as long as they are accurate) and you can't find an online search, don't fret, just contact the applicable organization and hope they're more helpful than the Swedes.