Complex sentence: The Smith family owned the plot from the 1700s until the early 1900s, the property was passed down by generation, and as a result, many of the burials were the Smith family themselves.
Split into simpler sentences: The Smith family owned the plot from the 1700s until the early 1900s. The property was passed down through the generations, and as a result, many of the burials were of the Smith family themselves.