FootNote
The new kid on the block, FootNote is known for digitizing historical
documents... many of which are genealogical gems. With naturalizations,
city directories, war records, newspapers, town records, etc... this new
kid is quickly being recognized as an alternative to Ancestry.
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies
and cremated remains are buried. The term
cemetery (from Greek: sleeping place)
implies that the land is specifically
designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries
in the Western world are the place where the
final ceremonies of death are observed.
These ceremonies or rites differ according
to cultural practice and religious belief.
While uncommon today, family (or private)
cemeteries were a matter of practicality
during the settlement of America. If a
municipal or religious cemetery had not been
established, settlers would seek out a small
plot of land, often in wooded areas
bordering their fields, to begin a family
plot. Sometimes, several families would
arrange to bury their dead together. While
some of these sites later grew into true
cemeteries, many were forgotten after a
family moved away or died out. Today, it is
not unheard of to discover groupings of
tombstones, ranging from a few to a dozen or
more, on undeveloped land.
Cemeteries in cities use valuable urban
space, which could become a problem,
especially in older cities. As historic
cemeteries begin to reach their capacity for
full burials, alternative memorialization,
such as collective memorials for cremated
individuals, is becoming more common.
Different cultures have different attitudes
to destruction of cemeteries and use of the
land for construction. In some countries it
is considered normal to destroy the graves,
while in others the graves are traditionally
respected for a century or more. In many
cases, after a suitable period of time has
elapsed, the headstones are removed and the
now former cemetery is converted to a
recreational park or construction site.
