Little did I know this simple request would turn into an obsession that has changed the way I look at graveyards forever. One gravestone can hold a wealth of pertinent facts such as maiden names of wives, children, place of origin, place of death and the details of cause of death. Some indicate that an individual is buried at another site altogether. The really old ones are extremely difficult to read and take some ingenuity to decipher. The conditions of stones or wooden crosses have to be taken into account.
Weather plays a devastating and significant part in their deterioration.
In a series of informative yet light-hearted articles I shall cover the various aspects of gathering information to help the budding family historians out there to see that it is not so daunting an undertaking. And yes, there is method in my madness. Throughout written history there have been carefully recorded events such as births, marriages and deaths. In all too many cases these records have been lost by accident or deliberate destruction. The publication of Roots by Alex.