For this month’s cemetery book review, I want to share another pick from the Association for Gravestone Studies Book Club. Published in 2023, Over My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden History of America’s Cemeteries is a spirited tour through some historic cemeteries in the United States.
Written by Greg Melville, an adventure journalist, and fellow taphophile, Over My Dead Body explores the many facets of how and why we bury our dead. From history, to land use and sustainability, this book covers a little of everything.
“Melville’s Over My Dead Body is a lively (pun intended) and wide-ranging history of cemeteries, places that have mirrored the passing eras in history but have also shaped it. Cemeteries have given birth to landscape architecture and famous parks, as well as influenced architectural styles. They’ve inspired and motivated some of our greatest poets and authors—Emerson, Whitman, and Dickinson. They have been used as political tools to shift the country’s discourse and as important symbols of the United States’ ambition and reach.”
Over My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden History of America’s Cemeteries by Greg Melville.
Over My Dead Body is a fun and easy-to-read exploration of some of America’s most historic cemeteries. I have the softcover edition, which is perfect for lounging with on a weekend afternoon. Each chapter focuses on a different cemetery, where Melville shares both the history of the place and his personal experience visiting it. I really enjoyed how each chapter felt like a history lesson and a travelogue rolled into one.
What made the book especially enjoyable for me was how much Melville’s passion for cemeteries mirrored my own. Even though I am exploring cemeteries here in Canada while he is in the U.S., his observations and reflections on the stories these places hold felt familiar. I felt like Melville might be a kindred spirit—someone who gets why we’re drawn to cemeteries in the first place.
The book is lighthearted for the most part, but it does touch on some darker aspects of history. It made me think deeply about how cemeteries not only reflect the past but also shape the way we remember those who came before us.
So if you are fascinated by cemeteries and the stories they hold, I highly recommend Over My Dead Body by Greg Melville. Its unique blend of history, personal reflection, and insightful exploration will appeal to both casual readers and avid taphophiles alike.
Have you read Over My Dead Body? I would love to read your thoughts about it in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
I am always on the hunt for cemetery-related book recommendations. If you are an author and have a cemetery-related book you would like me to review, please reach out at hello@chantallarochelle.ca. I would love to hear from you.
I have a lot of upcoming October content planned, so I thought I would officially kick off the Halloween season on the blog by sharing a spooky cemetery book review. It’s called Haunted Cemeteries: True Tales From Beyond the Grave by Edrick Thay.
Earlier this summer, I wrote a guest post for The Haunted Walk, titled Beyond the Headstones: 5 Surprising Secrets to Discover in Cemeteries. So when I was in Ottawa this summer visiting family, I made it a point to pop into the Haunted Walk office, on Sparks Street, to say hello. While there, I browsed their spooky-cute gift shop and this book jumped out. I thought it was a pretty fitting purchase.
Haunted Cemeteries was first published in 2004 by Ghost House Books, a part of Lone Pine Publishing. Ghost House has published a large series of books all focusing on local legends, ghosts, hauntings, and other unexplained phenomenon.1Haunted Cemeteries is a collection of stories about the world’s most notoriously haunted cemeteries and graveyards. The majority of the cemetery stories come from the United States, but the book does feature two cemeteries that are located in Ontario; Drummond Hill Cemetery in Niagara Falls and Burkholder Cemetery in Hamilton.
“Cemeteries are places of quiet repose where the dead are left to eternal rest. But some spirits refuse to rest in peace. Join Edrick Thay as he explores some of the world’s most notoriously haunted graveyards, both past and present, and interviews ghost hunters to discover how these eerie sites become charged with paranormal energy.
Plagued by nightmares, a mother has her daughter exhumed from Mount Carmel Cemetery in Chicago, only to make a shocking discovery paranormal researchers encounter spirits of wounded soldiers in Ontario’s Drummond Hill Cemetery, once the site of bloody conflagration when an archaeologist discovers a sealed tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, he awakens a terrifying ancient curse at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, ghosts of celebrities from another era float among the decrepit tombstones Anomalous Luminous Phenomena, or mysterious lights that defy explanation, illuminate Silver Cliff Cemetery in Colorado Ohio ghosthunters descend on Camp Chase Cemetery in Columbus, hoping to come across the captivating Lady in Gray a high school girl, fascinated with the paranormal, encounters a particularly irritable ghost at Bachelor’s Grove in Chicago in Salem, Massachusetts, site of the infamous witch trails, a ghost materializes, still mourning his inhuman death”
Haunted Cemeteries: True Tales From Beyond the Grave by Edrick Thay.
Haunted Cemeteries features 19 stories and a handful of black-and-white cemetery photos. The short stories made this an easy book to pick up when I had a few minutes to read. I appreciate those types of books.
The book includes some more well-known cemetery hauntings, like Bachelor’s Grove in Chicago and the Egyptian curse of King Tut’s tomb, but also highlights some lesser-known hauntings and folklore. As an avid reader of cemeteries and the supernatural, discovering these new unfamiliar stories was a lot of fun.
Overall, this was a fun and easy read, and I enjoyed the ghostly tales that can sometimes surround cemeteries. Reading about ghost stories, legends and reputed curses from beyond the grave is always a great way to ease into the Halloween season—especially when it also involves exploring the rich history of cemeteries.
Thanks for reading!
I am always on the hunt for cemetery-related book recommendations. If you are an author and have a cemetery-related book you would like me to review, please reach out at hello@chantallarochelle.ca. I would love to hear from you.
Summer is pretty much in full swing and I know lots of folks are working on getting back out into their local cemeteries to explore. This also means that clean-up and conservation projects are also getting started. That’s why I chose Landscapes of Memories for this month’s cemetery book review.
Landscapes of Memories : A Guide for Conserving Historic Cemeteries, Repairing Tombstones was compiled and edited by Tamara Anson-Cartwright, who at the time this book was published was the Architectural Conservation Advisor for the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship, Culture, and Recreation. First published in 1998 by Queen’s Printer for Ontario, this guide focuses on conserving historic cemeteries by identifying the materials found in cemeteries, cleaning gravestones as well as basic gravestone repair. Here is the summary of the book from the publisher:
“Landscapes of Memories – A Guide for Conserving Historic Cemeteries addresses the issues associated with the preservation and conservation of their cemeteries and tombstones. Cemetery trustees and genealogical societies have recorded the irreplaceable information of these tombstones, yet not enough has been written about the historical significance of Ontario’s cemeteries or their contribution to the cultural landscape. Nothing is available that describes conservation techniques appropriate for the different types of grave markers found in Ontario. This publication will begin to fill this void.
The material in this publication reflects accepted conservation principles and addresses the needs of those who are responsible for, as well as those who have a general interest, in the care and maintenance of older cemeteries. It is especially intended for those who own and operate cemeteries, both private and municipal, and for monument builders and contractors who repair grave markers.
This guide has been written by specialists in the fields of heritage conservation, landscape architecture, and masonry conservation. This volume, Repairing Tombstones, provides technical and practical information that will be helpful in making decisions about conserving tombstones.”
Landscapes of Memories : A Guide for Conserving Historic Cemeteries, Repairing Tombstones, compiled and edited by Tamara Anson-Cartwright
I came across this book on Facebook, in one of the Cemetery Repair and Preservation groups I am a part of. Someone had posted some questions about grave preservation techniques, and another group member had responded with a link to this book. You never know where you will come across great resources.
The version I have is an updated edition PDF that was published in 2003. It’s available to read online, for free. I was not able to find a print version, but I am sure it exists out there.
Landscapes of Memories is broken down into four chapters that go into great detail about materials used for gravestones and how to clean them. It also has step-by-step procedures to guide you through some of the basic gravestone repairs you might come across in the cemetery. There is a smattering of lovely black-and-white photos throughout the guide, as well as helpful illustrations. Even though it has a short page count, it packs a lot of information. Along with an extensive appendix, you will also find some relevant sections of the Ontario Cemeteries Act, a glossary of cemetery and masonry terms, and an ample bibliography.
As someone new to gravestone repair and cleaning, and having not attempted it yet myself, I found this guide to be very easy to follow and understand. It has great information on why certain materials should be cleaned a certain way and what the best practices are. Gravestone cleaning and repair are meant to help preserve cemeteries after all, not cause more damage.
I think anyone who is thinking about cleaning and repairing gravestones should read this guide if they have not already. It’s a great primer to help get you started with basic repair and the do’s and don’t of gravestone cleaning.
I will note that some of the information in the appendices is now out of date, for example, the Cemeteries Act was repealed on July 1, 2012.1This means that it is no longer in force, but it does still apply in some situations. It was essentially replaced by the Funeral, Burial, and Cremation Services Act.2 There is also no mention of the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO). Established in 2016, the BAO is the government-delegated authority responsible for distributing provisions under the Funeral, Burial, and Cremation Services Act.3
The issue of current content when it comes to regulations and regulating bodies is not a new one, and please don’t let that stop you from looking into this resource. I do hope they put out an updated version sooner, rather than later. Landscapes of Memories is a great starting point for those interested in learning more about repairing gravestones in Ontario. The information regarding cleaning is also valuable for those cleaning gravestones all over the world. Having a good understanding of the materials you are cleaning is crucial to do it properly, and to prevent further deterioration.
Considering this is a free resource available online, I recommend every taphophile pick it up. There is a lot of great information here about the different stones and materials that have been used for gravestones over the years. So whether you are interested in gravestone material, how to properly clean a stone, or how to do some basic repair, this is a great guide to pick up.
Thanks for reading!
I am always on the hunt for cemetery-related book recommendations. Please feel free to share yours in the comments. If you are an author and have a cemetery-related book you would like me to review, please reach out at hello@chantallarochelle.ca. I would love to hear from you.
For this month’s cemetery book review, I wanted to talk about Country Churchyards by Eudora Welty. I first heard about this book through the Association for Gravestone Studies book club. I was not familiar with Welty’s work, but this book was a nice introduction.
Eudora Welty is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, known for her short stories and novels that are focused primarily on the American South during the mid-20th century. Some of her works include the short story Death of a Traveling Salesman and the novel, The Optimist’s Daughter1.
Welty had long wished to produce a photography book about country churchyards, and at the age of 91, this dream project came to fruition.2 In July 2001 at the age of 92, she passed away due to natural causes at her family home in Jackson, Mississippi. She is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson.1
Her grey granite gravestone reads:
“Eudora Alice / Welty / April 13, 1909 / July 23, 2001 / Daughter of / Christian & Chestina Welty / For her life, any life she had / to believe, was nothing but the / continuity of its love. / The Optimist’s Daughter”
Country Churchyards features 90 photographs captured by Welty in Mississippi. Accompanying these beautiful black and white photos are Welty’s memories and impressions of her time visiting these cemeteries in the 1930s and 40s. The book also features select passages about cemeteries and funerals from her short stories and novels.
Country Churchyards by Eudora Welty
My copy of Country Churchyards, purchased from Thrift Books is a well-loved library book from Topeka, Kansas. Even with the well-worn cover, and light water stains, the beauty of this book shines through.
The book is filled with gorgeous black-and-white photos showcasing unique gravestones, symbolism, and cemetery landscapes. The introductions by Hunter Cole and Elizabeth Spencer paint a lovely picture of Eudora Welty and her underlying passion for cemeteries. This, accompanied by excerpts of Welty’s writing, highlights how influenced she was by the heartfelt sentiment found in cemeteries.
I find cemetery symbols fascinating, and it’s interesting to see what common and unique cemetery motifs are found throughout the book. I often found myself comparing my area’s common symbols to those within the pages as I read through it. I did take my time with this book, really examining the photos and all of the details.
It’s a beautiful little book and a nice break from the heavier reading I have been doing lately. This is a book I would leave out on my coffee table.
Have you read Country Churchyards? Are you familiar with Eudora Welty’s work? I would love to read your thoughts in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
I am always on the hunt for cemetery-related book recommendations. Please feel free to share yours in the comments. If you are an author and have a cemetery-related book you would like me to review, please reach out at hello@chantallarochelle.ca. I would love to hear from you.
One of my favorite things about visiting cemeteries is that you never know what you are going to find, and that’s exactly what this month’s cemetery book review is all about.
Unusual Gravestones by Martin and Claire Nicholson is a collection of unusual and interesting gravestones that this couple has photographed over the years. The Nicholson’s seem like kindred spirits, as they both enjoy photographing and documenting cemeteries and have been doing so for quite some time. They have added an interesting element to their graveyard wandering, they call it “competitive grave-hunting”.
“The authors have viewed millions of gravestones, and are offering readers a selection of the rare and unusual gravestones that they have seen, with full-color illustrations. Each category of type of gravestone, age of person, cause of death, rare names, and errors found on gravestones are given a points score to indicate rarity.”
Unusual Gravestones by Martin and Claire Nicholson
Published in 2015, this small softcover book is a collection of Martin and Claire Nicholson’s Cemetery Project. They began this project looking specifically for centenarians, those who reached the age of 100 years or more. Along the way, they discovered other unique gravestones. They separate their finds based on age, marriage, cause and manner of death as well as shape and material of the gravestone among other things. They have assigned a point system to all of these identifiers. It’s interesting to note that gravestone symbols don’t feature in their point system, as they seem to focus on epitaphs more than anything else.
It’s a pretty interesting concept and not something I can say I have ever thought of doing. The book features color photographs that highlight some very unique gravestones. Sometimes only showing the relevant engraved epitaphs.
The Nicholsons seem to be based in the UK, as this book and their accompanying website highlight many cemeteries and gravestones in that area. I found it interesting to see what kind of gravestones can be found in that part of the world. I thought it was a nice touch that they included a list of helpful tips for grave-hunting. However, I will note that I always prefer overcast days for cemetery visits as a photographer.
Although I think this book could use a little design polish, it is a fun little read and could be a good way to add a little competitive edge to your outings. The point system is well laid out in the book, with accompanying examples. It would be easy to adopt it for yourself or use it as a starting point for developing your own system. As the authors note in the introduction, some graveyards will have more commonalities than others, and I have found that the same can be said for whole geographic locations.
What do you think? Is this something you already do on your cemetery visits? Will you be adding Unusual Gravestones to your reading list? I would love to read your thoughts in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
I am always on the hunt for cemetery-related book recommendations. Please feel free to share yours in the comments. If you are an author and have a cemetery-related book you would like me to review, please reach out at hello@chantallarochelle.ca. I would love to hear from you.
Are you starting to think about Spring and Summer projects already? Chomping at the bit to get back out into the field, visiting cemeteries? I know I am. The snow is gone, and the weather is warming up, which has me daydreaming about cemetery road trips. Maybe you have some bigger projects in mind, like mapping out a local cemetery?
I might just have the perfect book recommendation for you!
Recently, Robert Perry, also known as the Bone Finder, reached out to me about reviewing a book. He had seen one of my previous book reviews and thought I might be interested in reviewing his new book Cemetery Mapping Techniques & Applications, an illustrated reference guide. Perry describes his book as a training manual for cemeterians and professionals that service the cemetery industry. I received a free advanced PDF copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review.
Robert “Bob” Perry is a specialist in cemetery geophysics and has many years of experience using ground-penetrating radar to locate unmarked graves. He has worked with more than 500 cemeteries within the United States, as well as law enforcement and paranormal investigators. Perry has also been featured on the History Channel, the Travel Channel, and Destination America.1
Published in 2022 by Topo Graphix LLC, Cemetery Mapping Techniques & Applications provides readers with a hands-on approach to field mapping a cemetery, using both field-mapping techniques and the basics of mapping software.
“This publication covers all phases of cemetery mapping, from site surveying and computerized drafting to the software applications used every day in the business. This one-of-a-kind publication includes tutorials on subjects such as field mapping, scanning, and redrafting old cemetery maps, and how ground-penetrating radar is used to locate unmarked graves and open burial spaces.”
Currently, this book is only available as a limited-edition spiral-bound field manual that can only be purchased through the author’s website, topographix.com. I’m not going got lie, it is a little pricy. The author did share with me that a less expensive perfect-bound version and PDF version will be coming out soon. The advanced PDF version I received features full-colour images, illustrations, and diagrams and is 132 pages. The book also contains four detailed cemetery map examples at the back.
Although it has a short page count, this book holds a lot of information. The chapters on how to use various mapping software are very thorough, walking readers through step-by-step. The software heavily featured in the book are CorelDRAW and AutoCAD, both software I have heard of but have never used. I am however very familiar with Adobe Illustrator—I am a graphic designer by trade. Because of my familiarity with that program, which is briefly mentioned in the book, I was able to follow along fairly easily with the walk-throughs. CorelDRAW does seem to have similar features and capabilities, albeit they are named differently.
Although I have no aspirations to ever map out a cemetery, it is interesting to see how much work and detail goes into it. The sections I found most interesting were the pieces around the author’s background and experience, as well as the case studies explored later in the book. The how-to piece is of course the main focus of the book, but the case studies show why creating these maps and doing that work is important. They are also interesting, like the example of the vampire grave! The case studies do well to illustrate the why, but I found they were very short. I would have liked to see those examples expanded upon a little bit more.
Overall, I found Cemetery Mapping Techniques & Applications a great introduction to the software programs used in the field of cemetery mapping. It’s an informative how-to and starting point for those looking to create their own cemetery maps. This would be a great resource for tech-savvy folks who are looking to get into the field of cemetery mapping, or cemetery groups looking to map their respective cemeteries.
Is cemetery mapping something you are interested in getting into? Do you think there should be more resources like this available on the market? Don’t be shy to share your thoughts in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
I am always on the hunt for cemetery-related book recommendations. Please feel free to share yours in the comments. If you are an author and have a cemetery-related book you would like me to review, please reach out at hello@chantallarochelle.ca. I would love to hear from you.
Being a Canadian, I am not 100% familiar with American history and customs. Luckily, there are MANY books written about it, and I do love to read. This month’s cemetery book review is Gone to the Grave: Burial Customs of the Arkansas Ozarks, 1850—1950 by Abby Burnett. I first learned about this book through the AGS Book Club, as this book was the pick for July 2023.
Published in 2014 by University Press of Mississippi, Gone to the Grave is written by Abby Burnett, a former freelance newspaper reporter and columnist for The Springdale News. At one time, her writing was food-focused, about understanding food and learning how to cook. Over time, her focus has shifted to death and burial practices.1In an article for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Burnett said,
“I’ve always loved cemeteries, and started seriously exploring ones in the Arkansas Ozarks about 25 years ago.”
Gone to the Grave is a collected work, the culmination of years of lectures, short newspaper articles, historical society journals, Arkansas Encyclopedia entries, and Gravestone Studies publications.1 It’s a very well-researched look into not only the burial customs of the residents of the Arkansas Ozarks, but also an in-depth look into deathcare and undertaking practices, health, and community life between 1850—1950.
Here is part of the book synopsis, from Goodreads:
“Gone to the Grave, a meticulous autopsy of this now vanished way of life and death, documents mourning and practical rituals through interviews, diaries and reminiscences, obituaries, and a wide variety of other sources. Abby Burnett covers attempts to stave off death; passings that, for various reasons, could not be mourned according to tradition; factors contributing to high maternal and infant mortality; and how loss was expressed through obituaries and epitaphs. A concluding chapter examines early undertaking practices and the many angles funeral industry professionals worked to convince the public of the need for their services.”
Gone to the Grave: Burial Customs of the Arkansas Ozarks, 1850-1950 by Abby Burnett
This book is fairly dense, but not the heaviest read I have come across recently. I am not going to lie, it did take me some time to work my way through it. It’s filled with black and white photos, including some post-mortem photographs. A big part of the author’s research includes diaries and interviews, with snippets printed verbatim to reveal what it was like to be a part of the funerals and burials at the time. I found these first-hand accounts fascinating. Death is a part of life, and reading about how a community would come together to sit up with the sick and dying, and everything that comes after a passing is eye-opening. Today, death is such a taboo that it’s not talked about, and we forget that it’s something that everyone goes through.
Learning more about these practices emphasizes how much things have changed. My uncle passed away in his home a few years ago. He had cancer and was spending his last days at home with his family. Two of my aunts went over to visit him, unknowingly on the day that he passed away. They knocked on his door, and his wife told them that he had just passed. They stayed to console his wife and visit with him one last time. Both of my aunts found the whole experience very surreal, as they had only ever visited deceased loved ones in a funeral home. But, that’s how wakes and funerals were done in the past, set up in the parlor of the deceased’s own home.
The practices discussed in the book are associated very specifically with the Arkansas Ozarks, it would be interesting to compare how different the practices are from other parts of the world. I often wondered as I read, if the customs described would have been much different than what customs were like here in Ontario around the same time.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It covers a lot of information, but I found it was well-connected and flowed together well. This book is a deep dive, and as such might be too heavy for a casual reader. I read some reviews where people compared it to a textbook, which understandably might not be for everyone. I wouldn’t go that far, but it does get close to that territory. So, if you are looking for that kind of in-depth, high-level information, this may be the perfect book for you.
Have you read Gone to the Grave? What did you think? I would love to read your thoughts in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
I am always on the hunt for cemetery-related book recommendations. Please feel free to share yours in the comments. If you are an author and have a cemetery-related book you would like me to review, please reach out at hello@chantallarochelle.ca. I would love to hear from you.
This past month, my book club announced the reading list for this year. Being proactive, I ordered almost everything on the list and have been enjoying the excitement each time a package arrives. When I received Forgotten Bones in the mail a week ago, I knew I wanted to read it right away. So for this month’s cemetery book review, I wanted to share my thoughts on Forgotten Bones: Uncovering a Slave Cemetery by Lois Miner Huey.
February is Black History Month, so I thought this is the perfect time to read this and share it with others who might be interested in learning more as well.
Forgotten Bones is written by Lois Miner Huey, an archaeologist for the state of New York.1 Published in 2016 by Millbrook Press, this book looks at the excavation and research that went into uncovering a lost slave cemetery that was accidentally discovered near Albany, New York in June of 2005.
“Imagine you’re watching a backhoe dig up the ground for a construction project when a round object rolls down a pile of dirt and stops at your feet. You pick it up, brush off some dirt, and realize you’re holding a skull! This is exactly what happened in Albany, New York, in 2005. Workers were putting in new sewer line when a backhoe driver dug up a skull. After police declared the skull wasn’t connected to any recent crimes, a team of archaeologists took a closer look. They determined the skull was from an African American who had died more than one hundred years earlier.”
Forgotten Bones: Uncovering a Slave Cemetery by Lois Miner Huey
The copy of Forgotten Bones I was able to find is a slim hardcover that once belonged to the Denver Public Library, but it looks like this book is also available in softcover. It’s a short read, packing a lot of information into 50 pages. I wasn’t aware when I ordered this book, that it is intended for children. It’s a Junior Library Guild Selection and is written at a grade four reading level.2
That being said, it is a pretty interesting read that breaks down the discovery, excavation process, and research that went into learning more about the lost cemetery. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be an archaeologist when I grew up. That didn’t happen, but I still find archaeology to be incredibly interesting, and that probably plays into my love of cemeteries. I found the section on the excavation particularly interesting and enjoyed looking at the photos and sketches from the dig.
There is also a section on facial reconstruction, how it’s done, and the results of the construction based on some of the skulls that were discovered during the dig. There are also two chapters on research, comparing this newly found cemetery to previously discovered slave cemeteries, as well as briefly touching on slave life and what close inspection of the remains concluded.
Because of the age level this book is intended for, it uses simple language. Regardless, Forgotten Bones does a good job of objectively looking at the history discovered during the excavation of the cemetery. Because it’s intended for a young audience, I think the book does gloss over the implications of what the discovery of a lost slave cemetery means.
I think this book could be a good starting point for those interested in talking to their children about what slavery is, and what discoveries like this mean. It could also be a good starting point for those interested in other slave cemeteries and the work that goes into excavating, documenting, and preserving them.
After reading this book, I have been inspired to look to see if there are more lost cemeteries like this one, that have been discovered since this book’s writing. I want to see where they are located and hope to one day visit them to pay my respects and learn more about their history.
Have your read Forgotten Bones? I would love to read your thoughts in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
I am always on the hunt for cemetery-related book recommendations. Please feel free to share yours in the comments. If you are an author and have a cemetery-related book you would like me to review, please reach out at hello@chantallarochelle.ca. I would love to hear from you.
References:
Forgotten Bones: Uncovering a Slave Cemetery by Lois Miner Huey | Book
For this month’s book review, I wanted to share something a little different. I first learned about this book through the Association for Gravestone Studies online shop. Unfortunately, the online shop will be closing soon, but at one time this book was available as part of a Gravestone Experts package.
I always sort of glossed over it, as I always thought that it was not a book for me. When it was announced that it would be the May 2023 pick for the AGS Book Club, it was my push to give it a read. So for today’s review, I wanted to share Mapping & Documenting Cemeteries, Second Edition by Pamela Goffinet.
This book is a little bit different than what I normally review. I have reviewed a reference book or two, but the majority of the books I have reviewed have focused on history and photography. After reading this book, I thought there might be many others who would benefit from this type of content. Mapping & Documenting Cemeteries, first published in 2013, is as its title notes, an excellent how-to guidebook for mapping and documenting cemeteries.
Here is a short synopsis from Goodreads: “This is a practical how-to book that guides the reader through the process of mapping and documenting a cemetery with easily available tools and basic skills. Included are instructions on creating a map, gathering an inscription database, and assembling a spreadsheet of related information, such as from deeds. Lots of illustrations and easy to understand. Written by a professional cartographer, this book is a must for historians, genealogists, or anyone interested in preserving the information found in cemeteries.”
Mapping & Documenting Cemeteries, Second Edition by Pamela Goffinet
This second edition softcover packs a lot of information into a short page count, coming in at only 96 pages. It’s filled with black and white photographs and figures illustrating the mapping approaches discussed so that even those who do not have a brain for math or geography can understand. You also do not need any fancy technology to use the techniques described in the book. There is a handy checklist of all the basic items you would need to complete the project, that are also budget-friendly.
Mapping & Documenting Cemeteries covers gravestone mapping basics, working with lot maps, as well as how to draft your own map. This step-by-step guide takes you through the whole process of how to make an accurate cemetery lot map, as well as documenting gravestone inscriptions and other related data.
Although I have no plans to map out a cemetery, I did still find this book useful, in particular the chapter on gathering gravestone inscriptions. As someone who often uploads my cemetery photographs to Find A Grave and transcribes the gravestones, there is some handy information about how to deal with partial inscriptions and the like. There are also some really handy tips on how to make gravestone inscriptions more legible when you’re in the field, to help better document them.
The only thing I didn’t like about the book, is that there is some repetition where it talks about tools. The information is important, but I feel like it could be structured in a different way to reduce the redundancy.
Overall, I did enjoy this book and found it interesting to learn what goes into mapping a cemetery. I think this would be a great resource for those working on cemetery projects that involve the need to map and plot out a cemetery. I think this would also be a good read for those looking to get into cemetery preservation. I realize with all our modern technology there may be apps and programs for this sort of thing, but going back to basics could be a good starting point to get fledgling projects off the ground.
Have you read Mapping & Documenting Cemeteries? I would love to hear your thoughts about it.
Thanks for reading!
I am always on the hunt for cemetery-related book recommendations. Please feel free to share yours in the comments. If you are an author and have a cemetery-related book you would like me to review, please reach out at hello@chantallarochelle.ca. I would love to hear from you.
I hinted last week that I had been working on another cemetery book review for you. For this month’s book review, I wanted to share Sacred Ground, Loyalist Cemeteries of Eastern Ontario, Volume Two by Stuart Lyall Manson.
Sacred Ground, Volume Two continues the author’s exploration of United Empire Loyalists buried in loyalist cemeteries in Canada. This volume looks at five cemeteries in the Eastern Ontario County of Glengarry, and one other in Cornwall, Ontario. I was very excited when Stuart reached out, asking if I would be interested in reviewing his second book on loyalist cemeteries. You might remember a previous blog post I wrote, reviewing his first book, Sacred Ground: Loyalist Cemeteries of Eastern Ontario, Volume One.
Stuart Lyall Manson is a professional research historian with over 25 years of experience and is also a heritage cemetery advocate.1 His second book Sacred Ground, Volume Two just came out in September of this year. He graciously provided me with a PDF version of his book to review. This book, also available in softcover, is 214 pages and contains color as well as black and white images.
“The second volume of the book series Sacred Ground: Loyalist Cemeteries of Eastern Ontario continues the approach of the first volume, describing notable loyalist cemeteries situated in Eastern Ontario. This volume covers cemeteries in the counties of Stormont and Glengarry. It is a collection of detailed profiles of a selection of these historical locations in the region. In each chapter, the author discusses, in-depth, a single cemetery containing the mortal remains of at least one loyalist. A historical overview is provided of each of these burial grounds, along with biographical information on specific loyalists with particularly remarkable stories. The locations were selected based on geographic distribution, religious diversity, and other factors. The book is based on rigorous primary and secondary source research. It complements other publications that list burials or transcribe tombstone inscriptions. Those publications are important resources. This book supplements that basic data with greater historical context and additional research into the lives and experiences of these men, women, and children who laid the foundations of modern Ontario. This volume includes the following cemeteries:
St. Andrew’s United Cemetery (Williamstown)
St. John’s Presbyterian Cemetery (Cornwall)
Falkner Settlement Cemetery (South Lancaster)
Salem United Cemetery (Summerstown)
St. Raphael’s Cemetery (St. Raphael’s)
Gleninore Cemetery (Charlottenburgh)”
Sacred Ground, Loyalist Cemeteries of Eastern Ontario, Volume Two by Stuart Lyall Manson.
I enjoyed this book. The author digs deep to uncover the lives of those who have been forgotten by many. I liked the fact that the author does not shy away from explaining that this type of research can be quite difficult when many people have the same names and full details are not always written out. I can just imagine the rabbit holes of research one had to go down to pull it all together.
As well as providing life stories and timelines of those buried, Volume Two also looks at the story of the cemeteries themselves. The one that stands out the most to me is St. John’s Presbyterian Cemetery in the city of Cornwall. A beautiful cairn was constructed with the remaining gravestones in the 1930’s. In 2017, with hardly any notice the cairn was demolished, destroying most of the remaining gravestones. Today there is only an empty lot where this cemetery sits. Without this kind of research and documentation, these sites may be lost to time, but the author has done an amazing job of collecting old photographs and piecing together the history of this site for future generations.
As I’ve mentioned before, I always jump at the chance to read about Canadian cemeteries. There is so much history to be found here, and you don’t have to travel far to find it. Accompanying each chapter is a smattering of maps, letters, and photographs of interesting gravestones and beautiful ruins. At the end of each chapter, I found myself saying “I have to visit this one!”. For this reason, I also loved that the locations of each cemetery were included as an appendix at the back of the book. Cemetery name, location, and even coordinates are included.
Just as I recommended the first book in this series, Volume Two would be a valuable read to anyone interested in learning more about Canadian history and the indelible mark left by United Empire Loyalists. This would also be a good book to pick up if you are planning some cemetery road trips in the future. As I did with Volume One, I have already added these cemeteries to my Google maps for future trip planning.
Will you be adding this book to your TBR list? Or better yet, have you already read it? I would love to hear what you think in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
I am always on the hunt for cemetery-related book recommendations. Please feel free to share yours in the comments. If you are an author and have a cemetery-related book you would like me to review, please reach out at hello@chantallarochelle.ca. I would love to hear from you.
Cemetery Photography by Chantal Larochelle 