Genealogy Chat

I have just nudged Dizzy's post. I'm off this afternoon , rain permitting to take photo's in my local cemetery for a GR member. It's fun, surprising the nice people you meet there.

I live in Somerset – not far from the ancestral villages of my mother’s family, and I visit a churchyard or cemetery whenever I get the chance. I take as many photos of headstones and the church as I can and these are made into web pages for fellow researchers to view. I have found the headstones of numerous cousins but no grandparents or aunts/uncles – yet. True, money was an issue back then and I guess many, many people were buried in unmarked graves. And I guess some families were lucky enough to have a stone mason in the line somewhere – and such stones would be a true labour of love. Headstones dated pre 1850 are difficult to find and often difficult, if not impossible, to read. As Sue In Somerset said earlier – the headstones and churches in Somerset were mostly made of a kind of sandstone, which doesn’t weather very well. Later stones are in marble or granite – but sadly the workmanship of the engraving or lettering is so poor, that even ones erected just 20-30 years ago are already become difficult to read. If visiting a churchyard – do try and go inside the church as there are often many plaques on the walls, or stones laid into the floor. And these are the real jems as they often go back to the 1600s or 1700s, with very little wear and tear to them. And of course nowadays we are hearing all the time about graves/stones being vandalised, falling over, being removed and stacked elsewhere – all very sad, I think. Even worse when the remains are moved elsewhere – so much for eternal rest! In my travels I have seen one stone that was erected recently by the descendants. What a lovely idea. And in South Petherton church there is a plaque ….. “Sacred to the Memory of the families of Vagg. Who for centuries worshiped in this church and whose descendants now follow the faith under the South Cross, Australia. Date 1966” Kathleen – that is a beautiful poem and idea. Did you write it? And may I copy the idea please? Sue