Madison
County Genealogical Society
Minutes of the Meeting – September 8, 2022
On September 8, 2022, the
Madison County Genealogical Society held a meeting at the Edwardsville Public
Library.
President, Robert Ridenour, called the
meeting to order.
The following is the Treasurer's report for
the month of August:
- Total Assets as of August 1, 2022 - $16,496.45
- General Fund - Beg. Balance $13,425.45 - Income
$0.15 - Expenses $258.00 - End Balance $13,167.60
- Publications Fund - Beg. Balance $3,071.00 - Income $0.00 - Expenses $0.00 - End Balance $3,071.00
- Total Assets as of August 31, 2022 - $16,238.60
GIFT
MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE
Do you have a family member that is
interested in (or even obsessed with) genealogy? A membership in the Madison
County Genealogical Society would be a very thoughtful gift. A gift card will
be sent to the recipient of any gift membership.
The following memberships are available:
Individual/Family Annual Membership $25.00
Patron Annual Membership $35.00
Institutional Membership $25.00
Contact our Secretary, Petie Hunter, at [email protected], about a gift membership.
September
Meeting
On September 8, 2022,
Tom Pearson, Retired Subject Specialist in the Genealogy Room of the St. Louis
Public Library presented a program titled Speaks With the Dead: Getting to Know Your
Living-Impaired Relatives or The Basics of Cemetery Research. The following
is a summary of that presentation, as a detailed report of the presentation
would be too long for this newsletter.
Tom discussed several pertinent topics such as:
How
to find the cemetery where your relative is buried.
He gave several suggestions for finding
this information and several online resources for finding the name of the
cemetery and where it is located.
Once
you find the cemetery, how do you find their grave?
Several methods of locating a grave
were covered: dowsing for it, walking the cemetery, ask the sexton or a local
undertaker, check at the local genealogical society, check local city or county
records, or if someone in your family knows where the grave is, take them with
you.
What
should you take with you to the cemetery?
Mr. Pearson presented a list of many
things you might need on your cemetery trip.
What
is the best time to visit a cemetery?
Spring or Fall
is the best time to go. It is easier to avoid tripping hazards, snakes, poison
ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak. If you are looking for a small family
cemetery, in summer crops can block the view.
How
should I record the info I find in the cemetery?
Tom discussed several ways to record
the data and discussed several things you should not do without asking or
should not do at all.
What
if a grave is not marked?
If you cannot find the grave and you
KNOW it is supposed to be, there are several things to look for. These were discussed by Mr. Pearson.
How
do I stay safe in a cemetery?
Tom discussed personal safety in the graveyard
and gave reasons for some of the items he suggested you take along.
Grave
Markers
Mr. Pearson discussed the evolution of
grave markers from stones to protect the corpse from scavengers, or to keep the
dead from rising from their graves. He also discussed the different materials
used to make gravestones and the many shapes, forms, and iconography used on
gravestones through the years.
What
should I know about cemetery laws?
Tom briefly discussed the cemetery laws
of Missouri and Illinois.
Mr. Pearson had a handout that listed internet addresses for web sites useful in cemetery
research. If you send an email to Tom at [email protected], he will send you an electronic
version of that handout, with links to those websites. However, some of the
links may be outdated and inactive.
