Visiting Cemeteries

When you visit a cemetery, you can learn a lot about your family history. You may find tombstones of infants that you never knew existed, until you found their grave marker. By looking around a family lot, you may find the surnames of married females in a family. If you take along younger relatives, a visit to the cemetery can be a springboard for you to tell them stories about their grandparents and great grandparents.

These are the grandchildren of General John Beatty at his grave in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.

The great grandfather of these youngsters, also named John Beatty (an ardent abolitionist), was once the Mayor of Sandusky!

If you do want to learn more about the people whose final resting place is in Erie County, Ohio, visit the Sandusky Library where you will find dozens of resources, both in print and online, which can provide more details about your ancestors. Several times a year, the library offers walking tours of the city and cemeteries in Sandusky. On Wednesday, October 12 at 6pm There will a tour of Sand Hill Cemetery on Mason Road.

Remember that every tombstone has a story! Visiting a cemetery can be a terrific learning adventure.