John Winn
Lt. Colonel
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2014
- Location
- State of Jefferson
Wow @John Winn Thats a lot of cemeteries in a small amount of space. Id say the one right near where the house was is a good possibility? And any other old ones that are on the property. Thank you so much!!!! Is there a way to find out the approximate time period a cemetery was used without visiting it and noting dates?
I don't know any way to really date a cemetery on the ground if there's no markers. Some only have a few burials and others were used for decades. If there's really old planted trees you can at least say they were used before such were planted (but then have to estimate when that was; can sometimes take a core but that requires equipment). If I were you I'd contact the closest historical or genealogical society. Those folks often know a lot about cemeteries and can often hook you up with oldtimers who know stuff.
Looking for buried stones is often productive. You first have to look for things like depressions and probe those. It can be tedious and dirty but I find it a bit like finding gold nuggets to actually locate a buried marker (and at least put it back on the surface). Old cemeteries can be addictive.
That said, realize that you should definitely not dig anything without permission from the current land owner. Out here there's some technical issues with who can "visit" an old cemetery - might not be the case in NC - but nobody can disturb anything other than the land owner. In Oregon there are cemeteries that have been designated "historic" by the legislature and they have different rules but if you just happen to have an old cemetery on your property you own it. Might be worth looking into cemetery law in NC but be aware that land owners often don't give a hoot what the law says; best to just approach them and explain your connection to the land and your desire to locate a relative's grave. Most can relate to that and are willing to help. Just be sure to ask if you can do minimal digging for stones. Some think graves should be left alone no matter what.
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