Representing over four million cemetery records from nearly 9,000 cemeteries around the world, the Cemetery Transcription Library at Interment.net is a free source for genealogy enthusiasts, historians, and researchers to access information on ancestors from all over the world. Featuring cemeteries in countries such as the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Brazil and Poland, the producers and editors of this site provide a welcome service.
The site debuted in 1997 and is visited by about 500,000 people each month. This reviewer was able to locate information for his father, grandparents and great‐grandparents, all buried in a small cemetery in remote north‐central Indiana. The information supplied includes names, birth and death dates and any relevant information etched on the headstone, for example, epitaphs and insignias. Interment.net specializes in remote cemeteries, those abandoned or full. Readers are encouraged to contribute to the site by learning to record cemeteries. A link explains the finer points of recording, including the use of pencil and notepad versus more technologically advanced methods. Measuring a gravesite is important. How large is the tombstone? Is the tombstone vertical or flush with the ground? Does the gravesite have an obelisk or other unusual marker? Cameras are an essential tool when “walking a cemetery”. Those interested in recording their local cemeteries are encouraged to work with the local sexton or caretaker of the cemetery, if there is one. Cemeteries are usually divided into sections, and the sexton or caretaker can guide the novice cemetery recorder. Transcriptions can be submitted online.
Another feature of the website is the Cemetery Column which currently features a listing of common abbreviations found on tombstones. For instance, WOW is Woodmen of the World and MWA is Modern Woodmen of America. Woodmen of the World and Modern Woodmen of America are fraternal organizations founded in the late nineteenth century that donated money for the gravestones of their members, and the WOW or MWA insignias would be placed on their stone. These stones were often in the shape of a tree stump. Modern Woodmen of America, founded in 1883, exists as one of the United States' largest fraternal benefit societies.
The Cemetery Transcription Library is easy to navigate. All the links were found to be working correctly, and the site is not cluttered with advertising. This website will be of interest to all persons interested in locating long‐lost relatives or family friends, and may even lead to a new hobby for some.
