I’ve shared before about cemetery hopping, however recently I didn’t even listen to my own advice.
In the process I learned a few more lessons I want to share:
- Have good walking shoes—you may be there for a while
- Have others go with you—this is safer and will make searching go faster
- Know who you are looking for, but also have an idea of other families of importance in the area that may have married into your family.
- Figure out the distance between the cemeteries you need to visit beforehand.
- Water is always a great asset—both for drinking and hydration; as well as to wipe off old stones
- Take a cloth to gently wipe off old stones
- Do not use whip cream, shaving cream or chalk on the stones because they can lead to erosion and damage. {These have all been popular methods in the past. Instead to paper for a grave rubbing.}
- A grave rubbing may help hard to read stones be read
- Have plenty of memory on your camera for pictures.
What are some things you do when going cemetery hopping?