Columnists Get Free Family History Tips, News and Updates. As we track our ancestors we usually end up in a cemetery to find the actual stone and view the resting place of our ancestors. It is a sort of spiritual time as we touch the stone and look around at the sights their loved ones saw as they were laid to rest. Most of those that mourned their death have long since passed on themselves.
Many times there is no one left to tend the gravesite.
A grave site that is unkempt is merely an excuse to show an ancestor a debt of gratitude. I usually find it a great source of satisfaction to nurture the stone and the area around it. I always carry equipment with me to clean the stone and garden tools to spruce up the area around it. The satisfaction I receive by honoring an ancestor or their loved ones through the tending of their graves keeps my search passionate and personal. I guess it also is a way of saying thanks to an ancestor that gave life to so many.