Just as birth certificates, birth records, marriage records, and death records provide (usually) a tangible link to our ancestors, cemeteries provide information useful in our search of a different sort. In cases where no death exists or one could be found, the date on a tombstone may be the only record of death for an individual. The photo below is one of my ancestors. No death record exists at the probate courthouse and this is the only record of his death. The information on the stone is considered as primary evidence in the absence of a written record.
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| Ezekiel Case - Evergreen Cemetery, Pierpont, Ohio |
Information on a tombstone varies considerably. If a person is lucky enough to gaze upon a tombstone and find the exact age at the time of death, the birth date can be calculated. In some older sections of a cemetery
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Elisha Hedge - Ancient Cemetery, Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts
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the "phrase in the __ year of [his/her] age" means the person entered into their next birth year when the person died. In the above example, Elisha died at 15 years of age, beginning his "16th year."
