Enrichment · Passion Projects

The stone says one thing.
The records may not.

A headstone is often the first record a family historian finds and the last one made. Line it up against the interment card, the death certificate and the obituary, and the true dates usually show themselves. Enter each source with the year it gives; the tool sorts out where they agree and which one to weigh.

Add a burialWhat you get

Your burials

The worked example is made up: a man who died on December 30 and was buried on January 3, so his records split across two years. Saved on this device only.

Loading the burial form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · Passion ProjectsFree

What you finish with
A record per burial: cemetery, section and lot, the stone’s years and inscription, whether the stone is original, every dated source with the year it gives and where it was found, and six checks at the cemetery. Counts sources and records made at the time; flags conflicting years and the stronger record, online memorials standing alone, stones set later and a stone matching no source.
Who it is for
Family historians, students on a local history project and volunteers documenting a cemetery.
Format
Browser cross-reference with a saved record per burial. Prints one burial, every burial in a table or a blank sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Passion Projects space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Enter the grave and the stone’s years exactly as carved.
  2. Add each source that gives a death or burial date.
  3. Record the year each source gives.
  4. Read the conflicts and which record weighs more.
  5. Visit the cemetery office for the interment record.

Add a burial

Weighing the records

Which record to trust for whatRecordMadeBest forDeath certificateDays after the deathDate and cause of deathInterment recordAt the burialBurial date and exact graveObituaryDays to weeks afterFamily names, life storyHeadstoneMonths to decades laterFinding the graveOnline memorialAny time, by volunteersA lead to checkWhich record to trust for whatDeath certificateMade: Days after the deathBest for: Date and cause of deathInterment recordMade: At the burialBest for: Burial date and exact graveObituaryMade: Days to weeks afterBest for: Family names, life storyHeadstoneMade: Months to decades laterBest for: Finding the graveOnline memorialMade: Any time, by volunteersBest for: A lead to check
Even a record made at the time can be wrong; the informant on a death certificate was often a grieving relative. Agreement across independent records is what settles a date.

Caring for a stone

Photograph, do not treat. Chalk, shaving cream, flour and wire brushes all damage old stone. Use a mirror or a flashlight held low to the side to read worn letters, and leave the stone as you found it.

The cemetery office

Many cemeteries keep interment cards or burial books with the date, the grave and sometimes the cause of death and the lot owner. Call ahead; small cemeteries may keep records with a church, a town clerk or a volunteer.

Sources

  1. National Archives and Records Administration. Genealogy resources: cemetery and burial records (archives.gov/research/genealogy).
  2. Mills, E. S. (2017). Evidence Explained (3rd ed., rev.). Genealogical Publishing: original and derivative sources, primary and secondary information.
  3. Board for Certification of Genealogists. (2019). Genealogy Standards (2nd ed., rev.). Ancestry.
  4. Association for Gravestone Studies. Gravestone care and documentation guidelines (gravestonestudies.org).

The worked examples are made up. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.