Cemetery Transcription Using GPS Camera

Bernie Gracy gives tips in part one of this video on doing cemetery transcriptions using a GPS camera. I look forward to warmer weather at which time I can get back to cemetery transcription projects and research.

Little Lamb Grave Site

Here's another interesting gravesite in Pleasant Shade Cemetery. I took the photo from a distance, but assume that this is the gravesite of a child. Perhaps during another visit, I will take a closer look at the grave site.

Founder of Pleasant Shade Cemetery

Tombstone Tuesday - Wedding Dates on Tombstones

I have heard about marriage dates being on tombstones, but never saw one until earlier this month during a visit to the Pleasant Shade Cemetery. Below are two examples from the tombstones of Mr. and Mrs. Mask and Mr. and Mrs. Gayles. This is invaluable information for a family researchers.

Beer Bottle Grave

On Saturday, I visited Pleasant Shade Cemetery in Hampton, VA. This is one of the interesting graves I saw. Who left the beer bottles, I wonder? Was this a random act by some beer guzzlers or was this from the friends of Rashed?

On Sunday, I visited the cemetery again to get a better picture of the grave marker. I only moved the bottles that covered the writing on the grave marker of this young man. Still, even with the bottles repositioned, this makes an interesting photo of a grave marker decorated with beer bottles and gold praying hands.

In an attempt to understand the reason for this beer bottle grave, I shared this photo with some family members and genealogy friends on MyFamily.com. One family member believed that this was some type of ritual; a genealogy friend enlightened me about this ritual with the comments below.

"I have seen this also, especially for certain "club" motorcycle riders. Some
have had one beer bottle at the gravesite, which I believe to be the deceased's
favorite beer. One like this with several bottles makes me believe a group of
friends came and partied with him. Especially since one of the bottles is still
capped, that would be Rashed's beer. I would assume (bad thing to do I know)
that at one time these bottles were all standing up on the headstone."

On Sunday, August 9th, I looked at the date of death more closely and noticed that this was the 6th anniversary of Rashed's death. I found this bottle arrangement on Saturday, the 8th. Therefore, I assume that Rashed's friends may have partied at their friend's grave, possibly on Friday night to commemorate his death and life.

For me, this is certainly an interesting alternative to just decorating a grave with flowers.

R.I.P. Rashed!

Decorated Gravesite - Aunt Lillian Ashe Johnson (1885-1950)

Gone, But Still Not Forgotten!

Photo taken by Professor Dru July 4, 2009

Plumbline Holy Church Cemetery

Enfield, NC

Have a Cemetery Adventure

Therese Boucher narrates a cemetery adventure and gives tips about some of the things you can learn from visiting a cemetery such as family information, inspiring artwork, and tools like "Find-a-Grave".

As You Are, So Once Was I

“As You Are, So Once Was I” is a series of videos of Pacific Northwest pioneer stories brought back to life. Each of the videos is set in Vancouver’s Old City Cemetery and begins with a shot of the grave marker of the deceased followed by an actor portraying the person. The videos are presented by the Vancouver Heritage Ambassadors, State of Washington.

What a creative idea for the Heritage Ambassadors to honor the deceased of this cemetery by portraying their stories on video. As I visited the cemetery at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in the Skippers area of Greensville County, VA this past Sunday, I thought about the video. What if the deceased in this cemetery (Antioch) could have their story told, what would it say?

In the video series, “As You Are, So Once Was I,” each character explained how they came to the Pacific Northwest. What if the residents of the Antioch cemetery could tell their life story and their affiliation with Antioch church? What a powerful story this would be for me as a family historian, as well as the current members of this church.

“As You Are, So Once Was I” portrays the stories of five individuals: 1) Maria Hidden, 2) John Mickey, 3) Esther Short, 4) Sarah Jane Anderson, and 5) Jarius Harmer.

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Maria Hidden, 1847-1924
Pacific Northwest pioneer Maria Hidden comes back to life and recites a political stump speech she made as an early women's Suffrage Movement member in Vancouver, WA.

Maria Hidden Video

John Mickey 1834-1924
Pacific Northwest pioneer John Mickey comes back to life and shares his story as a "stump farmer" in Vancouver, WA in the mid-1800's. The

John Mickey Video

Esther Short, 1806-1862
Pacific Northwest pioneer Esther Short comes back to life to tell her story of settling in territory claimed by both the U.S. and Britain's Hudson's Bay Co.

Esther Short Video

Sarah Jane Anderson, 1837-1912
Pacific Northwest pioneer Sarah Jane Anderson comes back to life and tells of early community and medical developments in Vancouver, WA.

Sarah Jane Anderson Video

Jarius Harmer, 1843-1886
Pacific Northwest Civil War soldier Jarius Harmer recounts his time with the Union Army and eventual move to Vancouver, WA.

Jarious Harmer Video

Additional Information:

The Vancouver Educational Telecommunications Consortium

Robinson Family Cemetery

Photo taken at the funeral of their father Robert Moore in April 1955.

Sitting on front row (left to right,) my grandparents, Matthew and Hattie Moore Pair and Grandma Hattie's brother Washington Moore and his wife Candace.

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The Robinson Family Cemetery is located adjacent to Antioch Baptist Church in the Skippers area of Greensville County, VA. My first visit to this family cemetery was Saturday, May 23, 1987, when my paternal grandfather, Matthew Dennis “Mack” Pair (1897-1987) was buried.

Since my parents were separated much of my life, I did not spend much time as a child getting to know my father’s family. It was around 1986, after discovering that my grandfather lived in Richmond, VA, that I began to take interest in getting to know this side of the family. My sister Doretha moved to Richmond that year and so one day we decided to visit Grandpa Mack who was living with his daughter Liz. Aunt Liz introduced us to her father and we just spoke, but did not engage in a conversation. Grandpa Mack died the next year.

While at the Robinson Family Cemetery on the day of Grandpa Mack’s burial, my father pointed out the grave of his mother, Hattie Moore Pair (1902-1956.) This was the first time I even knew her name. Later, in 1994 after I began family history research, I went back to the cemetery with Grandma Hattie’s youngest brother, Channie. Uncle Channie pointed out additional graves which not only included my grandparents, but some of their children and their spouses, as well as some of the Robinson family members, who were his maternal family. Uncle Channie pointed out an unmarked grave, which he believed to be the grave of his maternal grandfather, Joshua Robinson (1846-1935).

Below is a list of my ROBINSON, MOORE, and PAIR family members buried in the Robinson Family Cemetery.

Burials - Robinson Family Cemetery,
Surname, First Name, Birth Year/Death Year, Relationship

• Green, Amos, Sr., 1921-1974, Husband of Sarah Pair Green
• Johnson Moore, Candis, 1903-1986, Wife of Washington Moore
• Jones Moore, Thelma, 1915-1979, Wife of John Marshall Moore
• Moore Robinson, Alice Virginia, 1926-1991, Daughter of Washington and Candace Moore
• Moore, Charlie Buster, 1911-2004, Son of Robert and Mary Eliza Robinson Moore
• Moore, Dale Bert, 1940-2005, Son of James Jefferson Moore and grandson of Robert and Mary Eliza Robinson Moore
• Moore Pair, Hattie Maude, 1902-1956, My paternal grandmother
• Moore, Robert, abt. 1869-1955, My great grandfather and husband of Mary Eliza Robinson Moore
• Moore, Samuel Bell, 1917-2003, Son of Robert and Mary Eliza Robinson Moore
• Moore Foster, Sarah Ann, 1906-1995, Daughter of Robert and Mary Eliza Robinson Moore
• Moore, Washington, 1900-1997, Son of Robert and Mary Eliza Robinson Moore
• Pair Green, Lucille, 1923-1983, Daughter of Matthew and Hattie Moore Pair
• Pair, Matthew Dennis, 1897-1987, My paternal grandfather
• Pair Green, Sarah, 1928-2007, Daughter of Matthew and Hattie Moore Pair
• Robinson, Charlie, 1891-1971, Son of Joshua and Ersie Jane Providence Robinson
• Robinson, Joshua, 1846-1935, My great-great grandfather and father of Mary Eliza Robinson Moore
• Robinson Moore, Mary Eliza, abt. 1880-1920, My great grandmother and wife of Robert Moore
• Robinson, Moses, 1893-1979, Son of Joshua and Ersie Jane Providence Robinson

Papa is Buried Under a Tree

After obtaining copies of death certificates for Grandpa George Johnson (1893-1932) and members of his family, I visited the cemetery of Whites Grove Church in Warren County, NC where most of them were buried. It was Thanksgiving weekend 1996 just after a big storm and the cemetery was covered with leaves and tree branches. I was accompanied by my Uncle Willie Johnson, a son of George Johnson, and brother of my maternal grandmother, Emma. Uncle Willie had not visited his father’s grave in several years. He only remembered that he was buried under a tree. My grandmother also remembered the same thing about her father being buried under a tree.

As luck would have it, this cemetery had several trees and Uncle Willie couldn’t remember which one. Like any family historian visiting a graveyard, I didn’t let this deter me, so I began looking at all the tombstones. As I neared the end of my search, I found Grandpa George’s mother Susan Jerman Johnson (1858-1939.) A few steps away I found the grave of his sister, Mollie Johnson Rowlett (1886-1959) buried beside her husband, James Rowlett (1883-1947.)

I completed my search of all the tombstones in this church graveyard, but still could not find Grandpa George. Since his mother, sister, and brother in law, were buried near each other, then he might be buried somewhere near them, I thought. I returned to that area, but still saw nothing. Uncle Willie and I started towards the car, but I wanted to take another look. I returned to the area of his sister’s grave and looked around. As I stood looking in the graveyard above the graves of his sister and her husband, I began to sense that my feet weren’t standing on soil. The soil in the graveyard had been a bit mushy because of the recent storm. Feels like something is solid is under this bed of leaves, I thought, and it feels like cement. I began to clear away leaves and tree branches and bit by bit I saw cement, and lo and behold, there I was standing on Grandpa George Johnson’s grave.