New Tech for Mapping Cemeteries

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

@Josh The Lighthouse Guy , when you find the cemetery, try zooming in to see how high the resolution is. I'm assuming here that the cemetery is in Jupiter based on your location.

Resolution is good, but unfortunately the cemetery has a lot of large trees.

 

[lupaglupa]

The website Billion Graves, which is a competitor to Find a Grave, has GPS data for the graves it lists. The have an app that allows users to take a photo of a tombstone and link the GPS data while they are in the cemetery. I have not used this so I can say how well it works but it might be a simple solution to the problem.

 

[John Winn]

The website Billion Graves, which is a competitor to Find a Grave, has GPS data for the graves it lists. The have an app that allows users to take a photo of a tombstone and link the GPS data while they are in the cemetery. I have not used this so I can say how well it works but it might be a simple solution to the problem.

As I've said, it's better than nothing for sure but it'll only get one to the vicinity of a particular marker as cell phone GPS simply isn't that good. Also, a number of factors add to the basic limitations (e.g. buildings or trees in the way; how careful was the user; interference from other devices). The best one could expect would be something like ten to fifteen feet. So, one would still have to wander about a bit to find a particular marker (especially if in a modern cemetery with only small, flat markers).

This was a problem we had to deal with in one of 'my' cemeteries when we were trying to find a way for people to locate graves. We did a complete inventory of that cemetery and created a database with such things as descriptions, measurements, notation of damage, etc. We decided not to collect GPS. What we did to help visitors was to make a map (technically a drawing) of the cemetery blocks (21 x 21 feet), provided a digital link to the database which has block and grave number and a link to a digital copy of the map, and then installed metal block number signs throughout the cemetery (i.e. not every block but enough to get oriented). So, one looks up the record for a given marker, gets the block number and the map (we also have a large physical copy of the map in a weatherproof frame), looks for a block sign, and then locates the desired block. It's been maybe eight years and we've not received any complaints.

Maybe, though, given that many younger people seem able to only follow things digital (e.g. can't read a map or a clock with hands or count change) our method will become something like cursive writing. Or cell phone GPS may improve as have phone cameras (which are actually quite good now). That's a problem for another generation; I'm retired now.

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

High-precision GPS is great for making an interactive map, but since most people using it find the grave later will be using their phone they may go right to it or may end up 20ish feet away. Which is better than nothing, but with most headstones only marked on one side it can be hard to spot what you're looking for.

I like spreadsheets where each row is a row of burials and each cell is a plot. That even leaves space for unmarked or empty plots.

Of course, that assumes burials laid out in neat rows. Multiple burials in a single plot also mess up the system. Heck, even my local cemetery's pioneer section with its nice blocks sometimes has eight plots wide and sometimes ten wide, even though all blocks are the same size.

 

[John Winn]

High-precision GPS is great for making an interactive map, but since most people using it find the grave later will be using their phone they may go right to it or may end up 20ish feet away. Which is better than nothing, but with most headstones only marked on one side it can be hard to spot what you're looking for.

I like spreadsheets where each row is a row of burials and each cell is a plot. That even leaves space for unmarked or empty plots.

Of course, that assumes burials laid out in neat rows. Multiple burials in a single plot also mess up the system. Heck, even my local cemetery's pioneer section with its nice blocks sometimes has eight plots wide and sometimes ten wide, even though all blocks are the same size.

Yeah, old cemeteries often aren't laid out precisely. We had the same problem with block sizes and number of burials in a block. Two sections didn't follow the block design and just planted people every whichaways (a technical cemetery term). Those sections also have the largest number of unknown burials. We often advised people to look at the names in the blocks next to the one they want as they could know if they were close if they saw any of those other names (i.e. gives you more to look for).

In one section one of the previous sextons had sold graves in between blocks - i.e. in the walkways. That made it hard to document block (we settled on hyphenation: 150-201). Also, blocks in different sections are arranged differently; some go up and down slope while others go on the contours. That's why block 150 might be next to block 201 (the blocks go up the hill in one row and then back down the hill in the next row). Life (and death) do get complicated sometimes.

 

[gary]

I hope all that photographing is entered into FindaGrave.

 

[John Winn]

I hope all that photographing is entered into FindaGrave.

The photographs we took were shard with the local historical and genealogical societies which both have searchable databases for local cemeteries. Findagrave was a new thing when we did the inventory (as was the internet in general; no cell phones) and was then mostly only about "famous" graves. Anyway, some years later I spent two years or so photographing all the graves that did not have a photo on Findagrave and posting such. I did not, though, take photos of graves not at least fifty years old but other people have done some of those since then.

Over the years I did a lot of research on those buried in the cemetery and all of that info was also posted on Findagrave (and links created for relations). I've done work in two other cemeteries, too, but not to the same extent. I do believe that the one cemetery is as well documented as can be given the available records.

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

Find A Grave is a great name, but forms an unfortunate acronym.

 

[debwallsmith]

Find A Grave is a great name, but forms an unfortunate acronym.

Another name for cigarette?

 

[Library Lady]

This is my hometown cemetery which was established in 1865.

About - Elmwood Cemetery

About the Elmwood CemeteryThe Elmwood Cemetery Company is an Illinois Not-for-Profit Corporation originally formed in 1865 by an act of the Illinois State Legislature. The original incorporators included some of Sycamore’s early pioneers: James W. Waterman, Rueben Ellwood, Alonzo Ellwood, H.H...

elmwoodcemetery.net

We're very proud of the wrought iron gates which are the largest west of Ohio. The one pictured is actually the smaller of the two and is at the back entrance to the cemetery.

History - Elmwood Cemetery

Elmwood Gates HistoryIn 1897 the cemetery erected the unique cast iron gates that still stand today to welcome you into the cemetery at both the Charles Street and Elmwood Street entrances. Recent research indicates that they were likely designed, manufactured, and installed by The Champion Iron...

elmwoodcemetery.net

Old tech map of Civil War burials.

https://elmwoodcemetery.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/blueprint.pdf

New tech map for veteran burials from all wars as well as quick search for all burials.

Burial Search: Elmwood Cemetery

burialsearch.com

The mausoleum pictured in the very first link is the "old" mausoleum that is also known as the Dutton mausoleum. The Duttons are a prominent family with a large niche at the back of the mausoleum that holds several burials including that of Everell F. Dutton who ended the Civil War as a brevet brigadier general. He was major and then lieutenant colonel of the 105th Illinois.

 

[WKFurlow]

Technology has improved considerably in the 30 years since my team was one of the first to use total stations for mapping sites in Sinai. At that time, GPS data was still restricted to the military. When it became available for public use, we had to buy a license for post-processing software so we had 50 cm accuracy. Since then, universities have developed entire programs to push the limits of this new technology. The Geospatial Center at Miami U is on the forefront of new applications and well respected in the geospatial community.

DGPS