Many inscriptions provide a solemn testimony to their sacrifice. The dead do talk to the living through many of the poetic epitaphs found in the collection. As a rule, most epitaphs were written by friends, family members or even the deceased themselves while planning their final affairs. Epitaphs provide clues to the character of the deceased. They give the genealogical researcher a unique perspective of an ancestor.
Some epitaphs tell the story of how the person lived or how they died.
There are many stories which have yet to be told by tombstone inscriptions. Local historical societies have a race against time to transcribe and record tombstone inscriptions. Wherever you live in the United States, these sources are invaluable links to the past for public historians and genealogists. This article was originally published by the Western Reserve Historical Society and is reprinted here with their permission. Richard Barclay Robertson , M.Div., is a Manuscript Processor, Specialist in Genealogical Collections, for the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio.