New York, Cemetery Abstracts - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
This collection includes transcriptions from cemeteries in New York State that were compiled by the Eastern States Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1940 to 1969. Actual death dates on headstones may be much earlier. Index images are often included either at the beginning or ending of each cemetery abstracts.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Cemetery Abstracts may contain the following information:
 * Full name of deceased
 * Maiden name of deceased
 * Death date
 * Death place
 * Birth date
 * Estimated birth year
 * Cemetery name
 * Image number
 * Event date

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The county and/or town where your ancestor is buried
 * The name of the cemetery where ancestor is buried

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information on the search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the "County, Town" category ⇒ Select the "Cemetery" category which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:
 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s cemetery record, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the death or burial date to find other records that may provide more information on your ancestor. These include obituaries, grave markers, sexton’s records, or a civil or religious death records.
 * If your ancestor is found in these burial records, continue searching for other family members who may be buried in the same or nearby cemetery.
 * Use the estimated age at death or burial to calculate an approximate birth year.
 * Remember that a burial date is not always the same as a death date.
 * Sometimes a person is buried in a city or town in which they did not die. Do not assume that a burial place is the same as a death place.
 * If your ancestor had a common name be sure to evaluate all available information to determine the correct individual. This may involve comparing the data from multiple records. Note the age at death, and residence.
 * Family members were often buried near each other. Pay attention to individuals buried in the same cemetery as your ancestor—they may have been family members. Similarly, if your ancestor is buried near other relatives, it may be a clue that you have located the correct individual.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * If a burial record cannot be found for your ancestor in the locality where it is believed they are buried, try searching the records of nearby localities.
 * Try searching newspapers for an obituary, death notice, or notice of your ancestor’s estate to determine when your ancestor died.
 * Search cemetery transcripts for a transcript of your ancestor’s grave marker.
 * Look for probate records for the region and time period in which your ancestor supposedly died. These records may give clues about when he or she passed away.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation:

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