Cemeteries can be a great source of information about an ancestor. The inscriptions on grave markers often provide clues to family relationships. The style of the headstone can also tell you a lot about the person who was buried there.
Before visiting a cemetery, it is important to plan ahead. Be sure to bring a map, water and snacks. Also, don’t travel alone – many cemeteries are remote and unmarked.
Modern day cemeteries
Cemeteries are some of the best-preserved green spaces in modern cities. However, cultural norms prevent them from serving their full potential as public spaces that serve the needs of the living and honor the dead. Despite this, some modern cemeteries are beginning to realize that building a relationship with the community through everyday use can support their mission and sustainability.
In the past, the dead were buried in graveyards that surrounded churches in towns and city centers. Eventually, landscaped cemeteries were built outside of town, which helped separate the dead from the living. These new spaces also shifted burial practices, with many families purchasing plots to be buried in perpetuity.
Today, most modern cemeteries feature a system for mapping the locations of graves and monuments. This map is used both by the cemetery administration to manage space and to help family members locate specific plots. In addition, some graves are marked with small timber remembrance crosses or, in the case of Jewish war graves, a timber Star of David.
History of cemeteries
Many cultures consider the burial of their dead to be a sacred and honorable practice, and family mausoleums and graveyards have been in use for centuries. In ancient Egypt, pharaohs were buried in royal tombs and in Europe, churchyards were often used for graves. In the late 18th Century, landscaped parks-like cemeteries began to be developed outside urban areas. These landscaped cemeteries sparked a change in ideas about how cemetery space should be used.
Traditional cemetery burials take up a lot of space and are resource-intensive, and they can also lead to groundwater contamination. For these reasons, many people are choosing to forgo traditional burials and opt for cremation.
Traditionally, many families were responsible for the maintenance of headstones and grave markers. This resulted in a variety of styles and sizes, which can make it difficult to find a specific grave. Some cemeteries are re-using older graves to free up space for new interments, but this is often met with resistance from local descendants.
Types of cemeteries
There are many different types of cemeteries. Each one is designed and organized to reflect the religion, culture, beliefs, and habits of the community that it serves. In addition, there are many different types of graves and monuments. Some of these include: monumental cemetery, memorial park, garden cemetery, religious cemetery, municipal or city cemetery, VA cemetery, and natural or green burial grounds.
Some modern cemeteries also offer a number of other services. These may include genealogy information, flower placement programs, and special events for holidays like Mother’s Day and Veterans Day.
Most of these modern cemeteries have family plots sectioned off within them. A large monument called a marble obelisk usually has the surname or last name of the family on it, and smaller stones around it with first names and other relevant information mark individual graves. Mausoleums, which are above-ground entombment sites, are also common in these cemeteries. They often contain concrete or stone crypts (small rooms) that hold multiple caskets.
Locations of cemeteries
The location of a cemetery is determined by a number of factors, including geography, religious beliefs, and aesthetic and sanitary considerations. Sanitary precautions, for example, led the ancient Romans to bury their dead outside the walls of the city. Churchyards were also used for burials in Europe. Today, the majority of cemeteries are located in urban areas, although rural cemeteries continue to exist.
In addition to providing a place for people to visit and pay their respects, many modern cemeteries offer a variety of visitor services. These include genealogy information and flower placement programs. They may also host special memorial events. For example, the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn hosts a monthly Death Cafe and partners with the encyclopedic travel site Atlas Obscura for an annual event called Into the Veil. They also feature gardens and park-like settings that make them popular locations for family outings.