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Needed: Clipboard - Pencils with good erasers - Plastic milk bottle to carry water - Scrub brush with softer bristles and plastic handle - Box of white children's chalk - rag. Starting Point: I like to start at the northeast corner of a cemetery and have my rows go north to south; however you may choose the method that best suits you and or the cemetery you are reading. If you have an established map of the cemetery, it is probably broken down into sections, if not create your own sections. Work in one section at a time until that section is completed. Reading Stones: Accuracy is extremely important and should be first and foremost in your mind. If you make a practice of putting down the exact wording and whether in capital or lower case letters, it will be most helpful to you. Caution should be exercised in recording dates on the stone as certain numbers can be deceiving, such as 4's, 5's, 3's and 9's. The purpose of setting down the records of the stones is for someone to be able to find the person they are looking for in the cemetery and the location of the grave. There are various methods of reading the tombstone when the letters and dates are not clearly defined. Time of day -- what is not clear when the sun is shining on the stone may be very clear when there is shadow. I have taken a photo of a stone I could not read and when the film was developed the writing on the stone was very easy to read on the photo. Sometimes the use of a mirror is helpful as it creates shadows. We use chalk when we are unable in any other way to view the writing on the stone. After reading the stone, immediately clean the stone with water only. If the chalk or residue of the chalk is left on the stone, it can do harm to the stone. We view the method as a "one time only" course of action so that we are able to be accurate on the reading. We are reading stones only. Where there is a space or spaces between graves where there is not stone, none is recorded. When you have a stone with a first name only, make a notation of the last name of the stones on either side. When you return home with your findings for the day, compare your sheets to the cemetery listing that you have, to look for errors. If you find errors, set them aside to take with you the next time you go to the cemetery to record and double check your findings. Please note that children's graves were not always recorded so you may not find them on your list. Contact the Cemetery and Research Association of La Porte County (laportecountyin@yahoo.com) to contribute your latest and completed reading. |