Daviess County
Cemeteries FAQ's
This page answers the following
questions
Click to jump to the answer -- or page down to read all questions
How many cemeteries are there in Daviess County?
Where did my cemetery get
its name from?
What are the roads like
in Daviess County?
What is the
condition of my cemetery?
What is a
cemetery transcription?
Are there transcriptions
for all Daviess County cemeteries?
How are the DAR
transcriptions arranged?
Are the
transcriptions to Daviess County cemeteries anywhere on the internet?
How accurate are the
transcriptions?
Can you do
lookups for me?
What is a
township--how does it differ from a town?
What other cemetery
information can you give me not already on the website?
Q: How many cemeteries are there in Daviess County?
A: There are over 100 cemeteries in Daviess
County; my latest count says 102. Different challenges exist in determining an exact
number. First, I am not satisfied that all cemeteries have been
adequately identified: I think I have identified all medium and
large-sized cemeteries, but there could be and probably are a few
of the small, family-type cemeteries yet to be identified.
Secondly, what one person might call two separate cemeteries,
another might call one. Finally, cemeteries often have multiple
names and are referred to in different ways.
Q: Where did my cemetery get its name from?
A: (1) From surnames. Reid, Brown, and Ellis
are examples of Daviess County cemeteries receiving their name
from Daviess County families. In many cases, the surname once
owned the land the cemetery now occupies. Be careful however, not
to make the mistake of presuming that a cemetery receiving its
name from a particular surname contains more tombstones of that
surname than any other surname! (2) From churches. Churches often
set aside a plot of land for a cemetery, and thus the cemetery
received its name from the church. Such is the case with Grand
River Cemetery, named after the Grand River Baptist Church that
was once there. Other examples of cemeteries named after churches
include New Hope, Civil Bend, and Union Grove. Nearly all the
early churches are gone, but the cemeteries remain. Knowing your
ancestors are buried in a Methodist or Baptist cemetery may yield a clue as to your religious heritage. (3) From
towns/groups/geography. Examples of this are I.O.O.F., Winston,
Alta Vista, Lock Springs, and Coffey cemeteries.
Q: What are the roads like in Daviess County?
A: Routes and highways listed in the
directions on the List such as "route "AA"" or
"St Hwy 69" are paved. Roads with names are usually gravel
or dirt. Care should be used in rainy conditions when
visiting any cemetery.
Q: What is the condition of my cemetery?
A: As a general guide, if the cemetery has
maybe 50 names or more it is being mowed and cared for. If the
cemetery has fewer names, presume it is completely neglected,
overgrown and will be a challenge to even locate it. I estimate
about a quarter of all cemeteries are in danger of being lost due
to neglect, most of these cemeteries only having only a few
tombstones and few or no heirs to care for them. Apparently
floods have washed away at least one cemetery and been the cause
for relocation of at least one other. There are no funeral homes
nor flower shops adjacent to Daviess County cemeteries like those
in urban areas. You will also find that some
cemeteries--especially small ones--even lack a sign with the
cemetery's name on it. Be sure to wear hiking boots and wear
plenty of bug repellant to protect from chiggers. I always
welcome email from others wishing to pass on cemetery condition
information particularly for the small cemeteries.
Q: What is a cemetery transcription?
A: A transcription is a listing of all names
and corresponding birth and death dates copied from the
tombstones of a cemetery. Transcriptions are usually performed by
small groups or pairs of volunteers. The data is compiled and
arranged either alphabetically by surname or by order in which
the tombstones appear in the cemetery. Transcriptions which list
in order of appearance often have an alphabetical index. A loved
one buried in a cemetery may not be listed in a transcription
because (1) no tombstone was ever placed (2) a wooden cross or
marker was used without a name or (3) the stone has sunk or
deteriorated leaving it impossible to read. Other times a loved
one may be listed in a transcription, but not yet dead--that is,
the tombstone is in place with the last two digits of the year
yet to be filled in.
Q: Are there transcriptions for all Daviess County cemeteries?
A: No, but nearly all. The Gallatin Chapter of the Daughters of
the American Revolution transcribed most of the cemeteries in
Daviess County between the late 1950s through early 1970s. The Treeclimbers of
Pattonsburg also made a number of transcriptions particularly in the Benton
Township area, but these transcriptions have not been published excepting on
this website. A few transcriptions have also been made by other individuals/groups.
Nevertheless there are a few hard-to-find, small cemeteries with
no known transcription.
Q: How are the DAR transcriptions arranged?
A: Most of the transcriptions are arranged in alphabetical
order by surname. Some cemeteries such as the large Brown Cemetery, are listed
in order of appearance--which can be extremely time-saving when visiting to find
a particular tombstone. At the Daviess County Public Library in Gallatin, MO,
there is an index by Cynthia Robinson to the entire DAR
collection except for an unknown reason the Old Savage Cemetery in Benton Twp. (There are a few errors in the index, so make sure
you consult the actual transcription so you don't get incorrect
information!) This index can be extremely useful if you have a
relative's name but don't know what cemetery the person is buried
in.
Q: Are the transcriptions to Daviess County cemeteries anywhere on the internet?
A: All known links to freely-accessible transcriptions are
posted to the Daviess
County Cemeteries & Genealogy homepage. Ancestry.com also has an additional small
number of transcriptions available only through paid subscription (all the
ancestry.com transcriptions are available on microfilm). If you are
interested in doing your own transcription to a Daviess County
cemetery to put online, there are multiple options including the Tombstone Transcription Project,
Rootsweb's Daviess County Archives, or submitting it to this website.
Q: How accurate are the transcriptions?
A: I have noticed in samples I have taken of DAR transcriptions roughly 2/3 of the stones to be transcribed correctly. When I do find an errors, the error tends to be a single error rather than multiple although there are exceptions. I also occasionally find (probably around less than 5 percent) tombstones which have omitted from transcription. Rooting out errors and publishing previously missed tombstone information is one of the purposes of this website.
A: I certainly do not solicit doing lookups as I post most of
what I know to the website; however, I will generally help out requests for
Daviess County cemetery/genealogy help within the time constraints I have.
Please note that I do not have copies of all or even most transcriptions.
There are also volunteers for the following cemeteries: Scotland, Hill
(Jamesport Twp), Clear Creek, and Mt. Zion cemeteries which can
be requested by following the "Lookups" link at the
Daviess County homepage.
Q: What is a township--how does it differ from a town?
A: In Missouri, county land is subdivided into
political townships, just as the state is subdivided into
counties. In Daviess County there are 15 political townships.
They range in size from the largest, Grand River, with just over
50 square miles to the smallest, Harrison, with just over 20
square miles. Therefore, a township may contain from a few towns
to none at all.
There is also such thing as a geographical township (sometimes
called a congressional township). Think of these like latitude
and longitude lines which help identify land regardless of
topographical variations. When the federal government began to
sell land to Daviess County settlers around the 1840's they had
to section off the land first. They accomplished this by creating
principle meridians and then township and range lines which
intersected to form blocks 36 miles square. These blocks of land
were easily divided into 36 numbered square mile blocks called
"sections" which were in turn themselves easily divided
for sell. Therefore, if one knows the section, township, and
range a cemetery is located in, with the help of any plat book
one can identify the precise square mile where a cemetery is
located. These sections, townships, and ranges are listed on the
Daviess County Cemetery List.
Q: What other cemetery information can you give me not already on the website?
A: I am continually improving and adding things to the website as I find the time. Because I am seemingly perpetually behind in updating information, I strongly encourage those visiting cemeteries to contact me for the most up-to-date information. I enjoy feedback, additions, and corrections to the website though my time is limited and it often takes a few days for a response. Please email me with "Daviess County Cemeteries" in the subject line so I don't get confused with other counties or subjects. Don't feel embarrassed to contact me a second time if a few weeks have passed and I still haven't responded; I have missed messages.
Thanks...
I have made this website voluntarily and without financial compensation for the benefit of the genealogy community because I love Daviess County, the home to many of my ancestors. Feedback both in encouragement and an urge to root out mistakes keep me going. I am most grateful to the Gallatin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Treeclimbers, and other groups for doing these transcriptions in the first place and to those who do the upkeep of these cemeteries. Thanks also to the Daviess County Library staff, and to the many Daviess County genealogists who have helped provide information on these cemeteries.
--Steve Reid
Provo, UT
June 2006