Maryland, Philos Cemetery Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of of sexton records and records of cemetery lot owners from the Philos Cemetery in Westernport, Maryland. These records are from the collections of the Allegany County, Maryland Genealogical Society. The collection covers the years 1914 to 1932.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
These records may include:
 * The name of the deceased
 * The death date
 * Burial dates and places

In addition, they may also list the following:
 * Age
 * Cause of death
 * Residence
 * Birth year
 * Names of children
 * Mortuary or undertaker
 * Name of purchaser of the plot
 * Location of the plot

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The person’s name
 * The approximate burial or death date

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the information to locate the actual death record.
 * Use the age listed to determine an approximate birth date to find other church and vital records such as birth, baptism, and marriage records. Also search for immigration, military, land and probate records.
 * Use the information to find additional family members in censuses.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record. Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relatives that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Try variant spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Search the indexes and records of Maryland, United States Genealogy.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Maryland.
 * Maryland Guided Research
 * Maryland Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.