Tuesday's Tip: Military Headstones

Where can you find help understanding the abbreviations on a military headstone?  For example, what does "Regt." mean?

Military Headstone

The National Cemetery Administration has made it easy. Its website (part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) includes a list of abbreviations commonly used on government-furnished headstones and markers. The abbreviations include branch of service, war service, awards, and rank. 

Find this helpful list at http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/hmm/abbreviations.asp. 

 

 

Tuesday's Tip: Gravestone Symbolism

Ever wonder about the artwork, symbols, or decorations on your ancestor's gravestone?  What do they mean? Check out our Facebook post today for some ideas.

Gravestone with Carvings

Tuesday's Tip: Connecticut's Hale Collection

Rural Cemetery

Have you heard the name "Hale" while doing Connecticut research and don't know what it means?

Named for Charles R. Hale, the Hale Collection was created through the federal W.P.A. between 1932 and 1935. It includes headstone transcriptions for approximately 2,400 Connecticut cemeteries. Since many headstones not have survived years of rough winter weather, the Hale can be helpful in determining where your early Connecticut ancestor was buried – even if the headstone is no longer standing.

Looking for a photo of a Connecticut headstone? If you are a member of the Godfrey library, check to see if one is available through the Ed Laput Cemetery Project.

Tuesday's Tip: How To Access Our Cemetery Collections

Rural Cemetery

The goal of the Godfrey's Ed Laput Cemetery Project is to update the Charles R. Hale cemetery collection that recorded vital information from the headstone inscriptions of approximately 2,400 Connecticut cemeteries circa 1932-1935.

The Laput Project differs from FindAGrave.com in that every stone is photographed; every Hale inscription is included; information from stones post-Hale are entered; and there are no unsourced data.

The Godfrey also has other cemetery records, including Connecticut burial and sexton records from 1847 to present.

How do you find our cemetery records? Watch the video below and see.

click on button to play video

Upcoming Event: Cemetery Resources Online

Have you ever wondered how to locate an ancestor's tombstone?  There are online resources that can help. 

Old Tombstone

Join us June 20 from 6-8 pm for an Internet Genealogy Group session on online resources for locating cemetery records. 

Internet Genealogy Group is free for Premium members; $15 for all others. Please pre-register by calling 860-346-4375.

Upcoming Event: Using Cemetery Records to Help Your Genealogy Research

Cemetery records can be a valuable resource for building your family tree.

gravestone

This gravestone, for example, includes not only the ancestor's information, but also whom she married.

So how do you locate gravestones, plot records, and other cemetery information?

Join us on June 4 at 9:30 a.m. for a Genealogy Club meeting on cemetery records. We'll discuss resources that can help you determine where your ancestor was buried and give hints about what other information, besides their gravestone, may exist.

Gene Gumbs, head of the Ed Laput CT Cemetery Project, will also speak about that project and how it can help your research.

Genealogy Club is free for Godfrey Premium Members or $10 per session for Guest Members.

Celebrating Middlefield's 150th!

  Separated from Middletown in 1866, Middlefield is celebrating its 150th this year by acknowledging its history!

  Did you have Middlefield, CT heritage? Godfrey Library can be a great place to start... We have a number of books about Middlefield's past, including cemetery inscriptions, collections of historic photos and more.

 

Middlefield's cemeteries have also been completely photographed and are available as part of our Godfrey Scholar collection for Premium Members. 

Have a membership? 

Go to www.godfrey.org and click on "Godfrey Scholar +." 

Click on "Cemeteries." 

Click on "Connecticut, Middlesex County Cemeteries."

Click on "Middlefield, CT."

And click on the cemetery name to see photos. Often, our collection is better than what's available on Find A Grave, as it is photographed more completely and earlier, avoiding the recent damage to stones...

Looking for more Middlefield history? The Middlefield Historical Society and Wadsworth Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution are hosting a cleaning for Middlefield's Old North on April 30th at 9 am. More information available here. 

Happy hunting!