Rockwall is included because it was a portion of Kaufman County
- Try to determine through Land Deed records or Census records in which portion of the county(s) your ancestors lived, then search the burial sites which are located within close proximity to those areas.
- Be sure to consider that if a person LIVED in Kaufman or Rockwall County, that does not mean they are BURIED within those counties. If your ancestors lived near any borders of Rockwall, Hunt, Van Zandt, Collin, Henderson, Ellis or Dallas Counties, then they very possibly could be buried in those places. Always check Cemetery Enumerations of surrounding counties for burials.
- Prior to the 1870's most people were buried at their homes as there were very few "organized cemeteries" in the counties until that time. If a person was buried in a cemetery before 1860 there is a very good chance that their grave is not marked with a tombstone, more often due to the following 3 reasons:
- There was no stone suitable for carving available locally, and very few stone carvers. Most tombstones on graves prior to 1870 were ordered from either St. Louis or New Orleans and shipped here.
- The most available stone available in the region for tombstones was white limestone, which is very porous. The few very old limestone grave markers dated prior to 1870 that are still intact today are either broken or worn smooth from the elements. It has been found that the limestone tombstones which are located under trees have survived better than those which stand in open spaces, which proves that rain and sun are very detrimental to that rock.
- Most graves which were marked and located on homesteads have been forgotten, razed for development, desecrated by livestock and/or vandalized over the years, leaving nothing to mark the burial sites. Those burial sites which have survived throughout the last century have been located in places that have remained sequestered within the boundaries of private property, inaccessible to the public and cared for by land owners.
- Try determining if a cemetery has a current Association. Officers of associations and Cemetery Caretakers are great sources of information about the persons and families buried within their sites.
- Keep an open mind concerning the spelling of surnames. Very early tombstones are quite frequently found to have erroneous spellings, and frequently incorrect dates. This is because many people in the 1850's-1900's were illiterate and because many times tombstones were not placed on graves right after burial but many months, and sometimes years, later. Many times dates, places and spelling of names were given to stone masons "from memory", which caused errors to occur.
See also:
|
