April Fools! Bet you thought there wasn’t going to be a blog post today.
Often, in older cemeteries, you notice empty spaces, where a tombstone once was or was supposed to have been placed. Most often a tombstone was once there but has since broken off or deteriorated.
What a disappointment that is, almost like a bad April Fools’ joke.
There are unmarked grave plots in two of my favorite cemeteries, Zion Lutheran Schumm and Zion Lutheran Chatt. Most likely individuals are buried in these spaces, but their tombstones did not survive.
Unmarked grave sites, Zion Lutheran, Schumm.
Unmarked grave sites, Zion Lutheran, Chatt.
Although we may never know who is buried in most of these plots, there are a couple things to check that may give clues.
Look at old cemetery readings, often contained in books compiled years ago by genealogical societies or other organizations, such as the WPA or DAR. The tombstone may have been there when their cemetery reading was made years ago.
The cemetery may have a plat map, where all the grave sites are labeled.
What is the location of the unmarked plot? Is it in the children’s section? If so, the individual was probably a child.
Look at neighboring tombstones to see who is buried nearby. Family members are often buried close to each other.
Happy April Fools’ Day!
