Towne Cemetery, Londonderry, New Hampshire |
Beyond the “Find A Grave” website, do you sometimes wish for more detailed information, especially maps and locations of graves? Usually you have to visit a town cemetery department, or the office of a private cemetery, or perhaps the local historical society to find help with finding burial locations. However, there are at least ten websites for cemeteries in New England that you might find helpful!
If your ancestor’s cemetery is not listed here, please be
aware that nearly every town in New England has a town website. On that website you can find contact
information for the cemetery department and/or the cemetery commission. Members of the cemetery commissions are
elected, and their job is to answer questions or to lead you to the person who
can answer your questions. Most will
have a listed phone number or email address.
These websites sometimes have maps of the public cemeteries, and names
of the private cemeteries. Very old
cemeteries are sometimes located now on private land, and you will need
permission of the landowner to visit.
The town reference librarian or historical society will have cemetery
records for very old cemeteries.
I’m sure I missed a few great websites. These are just the cemetery web pages I have found during my genealogy research. If you know one in New Hampshire or
Massachusetts, please leave a message for me below, or email me at vrojomit@gmail.com and I’ll add it to this
list.
1. Plymouth, Massachusetts Burial Record
Search http://gis.townhall.plymouth.ma.us/burialsearch.html
by entering the surname of the deceased
you will find the location of the burial in Plymouth. You can click for a further map of the
cemetery plot location, which makes finding the grave easy. Graves from 1620 to the present.
2. Old North Burying Ground, Ipswich,
Massachusetts https://historicipswich.wordpress.com/ an alphabetical index of graves, section
maps, index by map locations, transcriptions of epitaphs, slideshows of the
gravestones and a downloadable database.
Graves range from 1634 – 1798.
3. Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge,
Massachusetts http://mountauburn.org/ offers an ineractive map to search the burial
records and find the location of specific graves by entering the name of the deceased http://mountauburn.org/map/
Mount Auburn also has a research and
genealogy department that can send you copies of the cemetery maps, cemetery
lot cards, burial records, photographs of the lot and monuments and other files
http://mountauburn.org/2011/research-requests/
4. Hillsborough, New Hampshire http://www.bridgevillage.com/
A database of 19 public cemeteries in
Hillsborough from 1788 to the present (last updated in August 2015) Searchable
by surname or by cemetery name. You can
search or browse each cemetery, too.
5. Hampton, New Hampshire All of the gravestones in nine of Hampton’s
ten cemeteries (all except for High Street Cemetery) can be found on the
Hampton Public Library website. Some of
these cemeteries have digital images.
(If you need information on a burial at High Street, call the caretaker’s
office at 603-926-6659- they are very helpful and will leave directions and a flag
for the grave you are looking for on the day you plan to visit) See this link for general information http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/genealog/howto/cemetery.htm and click here for the cemetery records at
the library website http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/graves/graves.htm
6. Keene, New
Hampshire Cemetery Lookup https://www.ci.keene.nh.us/cemetery-lookup You can enter surnames or complete names
into a search engine for a cemetery database.
Cemetery maps are available by section to help you locate
gravesites. Information on graves from
the late 1700s to the present.
7. Amherst, Massachusetts Cemetery Record Search https://www.amherstma.gov/829/Cemeteries the North, South and West Cemetery records
are now searchable.
8. Holyhood Cemetery, Chestnut Hill and West
Roxbury, Massachusetts https://www.mapsonline.net/bostonma/holyhood.html Detailed plot information and satellite maps
with the plot locations.
9. Littleton, Massachusetts Burial Information
http://www.littletonma.org/content/19459/19751/1343/17486/default.aspx
10. Chelmsford, Massachusetts search burial
records http://cemeteries.townofchelmsford.us/search-burial-records.asp Search by name and receive a report on the
burial with plot information from six cemeteries in Chelmsford.
11. Westport,
Massachusetts Historic Private and Public Cemeteries http://westport.loreprojects.com/home.cfm names, birth and death dates, age, gender,
military status, relatives, and sometimes genealogical information. Photos of
public cemetery gravestones. The
database is updated as new information becomes available. There are interactive
maps for Linden Grove and Maple Grove, and a map for Beech Grove. There are 105 cemeteries and burial grounds
in Westport!
12. Waltham,
Massachusetts http://www.city.waltham.ma.us/cemetery-department There is a searchable database of names and
online cemetery maps to help you locate plots.
13. Village Cemetery in Dedham, Massachusetts http://gis.dedham-ma.gov/cemeteryviewer_village/ burial information for the Village Cemetery,
with an interactive satellite map. This
cemetery dates back to 1638.
14. You are in luck if you have ancestors buried in Lowell, Massachusetts. Barbara Poole recently blogged about finding information on all the private and public cemeteries in Lowell. No matter which one your family members are buried in, there are aids, maps and resources available. Check this link: http://lifefromtheroots.blogspot.com/2016/08/cemeteries-in-lowell-massachusetts.html
14. You are in luck if you have ancestors buried in Lowell, Massachusetts. Barbara Poole recently blogged about finding information on all the private and public cemeteries in Lowell. No matter which one your family members are buried in, there are aids, maps and resources available. Check this link: http://lifefromtheroots.blogspot.com/2016/08/cemeteries-in-lowell-massachusetts.html
15. Historic Burying Ground Initiative for
Boston, Massachusetts https://www.cityofboston.gov/parks/hbgi/search.asp This database includes all legible graves
from a mid-1980s survey by volunteers.
Searchable by last name and by the 14 historic cemeteries included in
this project.
16. Cemeteryfind.com is a website used by many towns in Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island (and outside of New England) for burials in their public cemeteries. https://cemeteryfind.com/ Check to see which cemeteries have been
added. In NH the towns of Bow,
Claremont, Kingston and Laconia are listed.
In Massachusetts these towns are using CemeteryFind: Ayer, Barnstable, Boston, Braintree,
Brighton, Centerville, Charlestown, East Boston, East Bridgewater,
Greenwood, Hyannis, Lawrence,
Marshfield, Marstons Mills, Maynard, North Reading, Norton, Oak Bluffs, Osterville, Reading, Riverview,
Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston,
Stoneham, Watertown, West Barnstable, West Roxbury, Westborough, Weymouth, Winchester and Yarmouth. The
search results give the cemetery detail, the deceased name with lot and grave
numbers, which can be matched up to maps.
Cemetery inventories (PDF files of names of burials in
cemeteries) these are NOT databases
1. Jaffrey, New Hampshire
http://town.jaffrey.nh.us/Pages/JaffreyNH_Bcomm/Cemetery/inventories
2. Londonderry, New Hampshire http://www.londonderrynh.org/Pages/LondonderryNH_BComm/Cemeteries/Inventory/1-16
3. Bedford, New Hampshire
http://www.bedfordcemeteries.org/
(there is also a “Friends of the Town of
Bedford Cemeteries at this link: http://www.friendsofbedfordcemeteries.org/
)
4. Mount Vernon, New Hampshire Green Lawn Cemetery http://www.montvernonnh.us/index.php/cemetery-home (click on the link in the right hand column
that says “database” for the PDF file – it’s not a true database)
5. Warner, New Hampshire
http://www.warnerhistorical.org/cemetery-information.html (downloadable, not viewable)
6. Pelham, New Hampshire
http://www.pelhamnhhistory.org/library/onlinelibrary_lib1.html#Gravestones
7. Moultonborough,
New Hampshire http://www.moultonboroughhistory.org/MHS%20Articles%20&%20Tidbits/Articles/Moultonborough%20Cemerty%20Records/Moultonborough%20Cemetery%20Records.htm
8. Hopkinton, New
Hampshire http://www.hopkinton-nh.gov/Pages/HopkintonNH_Cemetery/TOWN%20OF%20HOPKINTON%20CEMETERY%20RECORDS
9. Nashua, New
Hampshire http://www.nashuanh.gov/192/Cemetery-Search
10. Old Burial Ground, Brookline, Massachusetts http://obg.aboutbrookline.com/
11. Old Burial Hill, Marblehead, Massachusetts http://www.marblehead.org/index.aspx?NID=1104 700 images of 657 gravestones, transcribed
epitaphs, etc.
12. St. Patrick Cemetery, Lowell, Massachusetts http://stpatrickcemetery.com/ Burial listings 1895 to 2011 along with
detailed plot maps.
13. Bourne,
Massachusetts Pocasset Cemetery http://www.pocassetcemetery.org/
and Catamet Cemetery http://www.cataumetcemetery.org/ Both pages list burials, and have satellite maps. An ongoing genealogical information database
is being built (a work in progress) for each burial.
14. Duxbury,
Massachusetts Cemetery Documents http://www.town.duxbury.ma.us/Public_Documents/DuxburyMA_Cemetery/ A list of many historic cemeteries (many
containing the graves of Mayflower passengers), maps, and alphabetical decedent
locator pages.
15. Carlisle, Massachusetts Cemetery Interment List for
Green Cemetery on Bedford Road http://www.carlislema.gov/pages/CarlisleMA_clerk/Green_Cemetery/Green_Cemetery A PDF list of burials with locations, map is
available on another PDF. This webpage was
an Eagle Scout project.
16. Prospect Hill Cemetery, Nantucket, Massachusetts
Interment Index http://www.prospecthillcemetery.com/ The list of burials is an Excel file which
shows name, lot number, date of death and birth, and the section of the
cemetery when the lot is located. Recent
interments may not be available until the list is updated. Check back for
updates.
17. Edgartown,
Massachusetts, http://www.edgartown-ma.us/departments/cemetery
downloadable PDF files of some cemetery
interments (Jeffer’s Lane is alphabetical with images) , others are plot maps
(handwritten images) – Jeffer’s Lane, Old Town, Town Cemetery, Old West Side,
Hilltop, Old West Side.
18. Rehoboth, Massachusetts http://www.oldrehoboth.com/cemeteries.htm has 52 cemeteries! You can search each cemetery listing
separately for burials.
19. Swansea, Massachusetts http://www.swanseamass.org/history/cemeteries.html has 43 small cemeteries, most have listings
on this page of interments with names, date of deaths, and plot numbers.
20. Hingham,
Massachusetts http://www.hinghamcemetery.org/ There is a large PDF file with a list of
burials, cemetery maps, and historic information.
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Also-
The Veteran’s
Administration National Gravesite Locator http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/index.html
search for burial locations of
veterans and their family members in VA National Cemeteries, state veteran’s
cemeteries, and other military cemeteries, or for veterans in private
cemeteries with government issued military grave stones. Can be
used for any state.
Cape Cod Gravestones http://www.capecodgravestones.com/ information about 17th, 18th
and 19th century gravestones across Cape Cod.
Find A Grave http://www.findagrave.com/
Billion Graves https://billiongraves.com/
New Hampshire Old Cemetery Association http://www.nhoga.com/
Some useful books on this subject:
Boston's Copp's Hill Burying Ground Guide, by Charles Chauncey Wells, 1998 (Historical notes and illustrated maps).
A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries, by David Allen Lambert, 2nd edition, 2009.
New Hampshire Old Cemetery Association http://www.nhoga.com/
Some useful books on this subject:
Boston's Copp's Hill Burying Ground Guide, by Charles Chauncey Wells, 1998 (Historical notes and illustrated maps).
A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries, by David Allen Lambert, 2nd edition, 2009.
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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "More Than Ten Great New Hampshire and Massachusetts Cemetery Websites (You’ll wish your ancestors were buried here!)", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 10, 2016, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/10/more-than-ten-great-new-hampshire-and.html: accessed [access date]).
http://www.epsomhistory.com/epsom/cemetery/gravephotos.html
ReplyDeleteYES! This is a wonderful website with photos and transcriptions of the epitaphs (many no longer legible, too) at 44 different burial grounds in rural Epsom, NH. IT is not a database, nor a PDF file, but links to webpages with alphabetical listings and photos.
DeleteThe Epsom cemetery info is capped at graves circa 1940. They are also available in book form at Blurb (1 each major cemeteries, 1 old family cemeteries, total 5 books), and copies are at the NH State Library and Epsom Library - sample
ReplyDeletehttp://www.blurb.com/b/7052988-old-epsom-family-cemeteries
TJ
WOW! Thanks for this wonderful list Heather. I knew of some of these sites, but many are new to me. Because of so many of my husband's ancestors having been early and founding settlers in Keene, NH, I was aware of their site of course. I will be writing a blog post this week and including a link to your list. I'm sure it will be very helpful to many of my readers who may not be aware of your wonderful blog (although I'm sure most of them must know about it).
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
Thanks for your kind words, Diane!
DeleteDiane's blog is "Michigan Family Trails" at this link: http://www.michiganfamilytrails.com/
DeleteI documented the genealogies of the [known] children buried in the Point of Graves in Portsmouth, NH. That information can be found at www.AncestorSpeak.org.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting website, Sue! I've blogged about many stones at the Point of Graves, including the children Elizabeth Rogers and the Frost sisters. Thanks for your link.
DeleteThomas Tufts reports that Brookdale Cemetery in Dedham, Massachusetts has a great website at this link: http://gis.dedham-ma.gov/cemeteryviewer_brookdale/
ReplyDeleteYour #13 is the Old Village Cemetery in Dedham (not Duxbury) and uses the same kind of search as the Brookdale Cemetery (also in Dedham).
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elizabeth! I'll edit that entry above.
DeleteAnd Barbara Poole has a great blog post about Brookdale Cemetery, Dedham, Massachusetts, too. Here is the link: http://lifefromtheroots.blogspot.com/2016/04/i-wanted-to-know-more-and-i-found-lot.html
ReplyDeleteWhat a great listing!!! I found multiple Shackfords which I research at www.shackfordfamilyhistory.wordpress.com buried in Mount Auburn because of this great posting & could add internment dates & have a link to contact the cemetery! Appreciate the information of this & other cemetery links in New England. Added this page to my Bookmarks!
ReplyDelete