Importance of Cemeteries in Genealogical Research
Cemeteries serve as a crucial resource for genealogical research, often holding important information like birth and death dates, family connections, and various biographical details. Headstones can provide insights into occupations, military service, membership in fraternal organizations, or even the causes of death. Additionally, cemetery records can enhance other genealogical resources, such as census data and vital records, aiding in the reconstruction of family histories and offering a fuller understanding of ancestors' lives.
Challenges of Genealogical Research in Cemeteries
While cemeteries can provide valuable genealogical information, researching in these places comes with its own set of challenges. One major difficulty is finding gravesites, especially in older cemeteries where headstones might be worn down or hard to read. Furthermore, some cemeteries may lack complete records or have lost them entirely, complicating the search for specific individuals or family plots.
About the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a comprehensive database that catalogs place names across the United States. It provides details about the names, locations, and features of both physical and cultural landmarks, including mountains, rivers, cities, and, importantly, historical sites like cemeteries.
This database is utilized by government agencies, businesses, and individuals for a variety of applications, including land management, emergency response, and map creation. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is responsible for maintaining and updating the information in GNIS to ensure its accuracy and reliability.
About Find a Grave®
Find a Grave® is a platform that offers users a virtual cemetery experience. Established in 1995 by Jim Tipton, it enables individuals to search for and locate the graves of deceased persons from across the globe.
In 2013, Ancestry.com acquired Find a Grave® from Mr. Tipton. The site boasts over 200 million grave records worldwide, complete with photographs, biographical details, and interactive maps.
Users have the option to create and manage virtual memorials for their loved ones or those they respect, allowing them to add personal messages or photos to these memorial pages. Find a Grave® is utilized by genealogists, historians, and anyone looking to connect with their ancestry or honor loved ones. The site is free to use and depends on contributions from users to keep the records current.
Additionally, the site features options like the ability to request grave photos, volunteer opportunities to take and upload gravestone photos, and a forum for discussions on cemetery research and preservation.
Genealogists find transcriptions of cemetery headstones particularly useful, especially when the original stones are missing or hard to read. These transcriptions can be an invaluable resource for research. Scholarly articles provide excellent information on this topic. For instance, a study by Stephen P. Broker from the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, titled "
Death and Dying in Puritan New England: A Study Based on Early Gravestones, Vital Records, and other Primary Sources Relating to Cape Cod, Massachusetts," offers an intriguing examination of early gravestones in Barnstable County and includes numerous transcriptions of family names.
Beyond published works, many genealogical societies and organizations have taken on the task of transcribing local cemeteries, with many of these transcriptions available online or in local archives. For example, the
Cape Cod Genealogical Society provides transcriptions through its research library located in Dennis. Another valuable source for gravestone inscriptions is genealogy blogs, such as Bob Carlson's impressive
"Cape Cod Gravestones." His blog features over
40,000 epitaphs.
Records of the Cemetery Office
Cemeteries typically maintain detailed records that can be incredibly useful for genealogical research. These records may consist of plot maps, the names of original owners, their addresses, and the dates of purchase, as well as burial registers that document the names and dates of individuals interred in a plot. Additionally, other documents can aid in finding gravesites and gathering biographical information. You can easily access this information by reaching out to the cemetery's business office.
Conducting Genealogical Research in Worcester County Cemeteries
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Planning Your Visit:
- Collect information about the person or family you are researching
- Find out their birth and death dates
- Look into any known cemetery plot details
- Reach out to cemetery offices for records and their visiting hours
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Essential Tools for Cemetery Visits:
- Notebook and pen
- Digital camera or smartphone
- Cemetery map
- Small digging tools (like a trowel) for uncovering hidden headstones
- Soft brush for cleaning headstones
- Water and a soft cloth to enhance headstone legibility
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Cemetery Etiquette:
- Show respect for grave sites and their surroundings
- Refrain from walking on graves
- Adhere to any posted rules and regulations
- Get permission before doing any rubbings or extensive cleaning
-
Documentation Best Practices:
- Record the cemetery's name and its exact location
- Take note of names and dates from headstones
- Document any additional details (e.g., epitaphs, symbols)
- Photograph headstones and the surrounding area for context
- Make sure the gravestone location is visible to others
- Record your exact GPS location
- Alternatively, sketch the layout of family plots
-
Follow-up Research:
- Cross-check the information collected with other sources
- Look for additional records based on new leads
- Reach out to local historical societies for further information
- Share your findings with other researchers or family members
Key Features
- Detailed listing of 236 cemeteries in Worcester County
- Direct links to informational pages or cemetery offices when available
- Access to thousands of memorial stone inscriptions
- A valuable resource for researching local history and genealogy
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I find a specific grave in Worcester County?
You can locate a specific grave by using our alphabetical cemetery listings and clicking on the Find a Grave® links. This will allow you to search for individuals within each cemetery.
Are all Worcester County cemeteries included in this guide?
Our guide is quite comprehensive, featuring 236 cemeteries, but it may not cover every burial ground in Worcester County. We are committed to continuously updating our information.
How can I contribute information about a cemetery?
To add or update cemetery information, please visit Find a Grave®'s contribution guide for detailed instructions.
What tools are essential for cemetery visits in Worcester County?
When visiting cemeteries, it's helpful to have: a notebook and pen, a digital camera or smartphone, a cemetery map, small digging tools (like a trowel) for uncovering buried headstones, a soft brush for cleaning headstones, and water with a soft cloth to enhance headstone legibility.
What are some best practices for documenting cemetery research?
To effectively document your cemetery research, consider these best practices: Record the cemetery's name and precise location, note names and dates from headstones, document any additional details (such as epitaphs and symbols), take photographs of headstones and the surrounding area for context, and sketch the layout of family plots.
What online databases are useful for researching Worcester County cemeteries?
Two very helpful databases are the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and Find a Grave®. These resources offer details on cemetery locations and specific burial records.
Email Updates
Help Us Improve! If you find a better link for a cemetery, please email us at services@mass-doc.com. Your contributions help make this resource more valuable for everyone.
Cemetery Listings for Worcester County, Massachusetts
- Adams Cemetery, Barre
- Albee Cemetery, Uxbridge
- Armsby Cemetery, Sutton
- Bay Path Cemetery, Charlton
- Bellevue Cemetery, Harvard
- Bicknell Cemetery, Mendon
- Blackmer Cemetery, Dudley
- Blackstone Cemetery, Blackstone
- Blood Cemetery, Charlton, aka, Dresser Cemetery and Dresser Hill Public Yard
- Bnai Brith Cemetery, Worcester
- Bradish Cemetery, Upton, aka, Old North Cemetery
- Brookfield Cemetery, Brookfield
- Buckminster Cemetery, Barre
- Caldwell Cemetery, Barre
- Calvary Cemetery, Athol
- Calvary Cemetery, Dudley
- Calvary Cemetery, Winchendon
- Center Cemetery, Royalston, aka, Old Centre Cemetery and Royalston Center Cemetery
- Central Cemetery, Millbury, aka, Millbury Central Cemetery
- Chestnut Hill Cemetery, Millville
- Coldbrook Cemetery, Barre
- Coolidge Cemetery, Petersham
- Corbin Cemetery, Dudley
- Cotter Cemetery, North Brookfield
- Dodge Cemetery, Sutton
- Dresser Cemetery, Charlton
- Dwinell Cemetery, Millbury
- East Street Cemetery, Petersham
- Eastwood Cemetery, Lancaster
- Ellinwood Cemetery, Athol
- Evergreen Cemetery, Douglas
- Evergreen Cemetery, East Brookfield
- Evergreen Cemetery, Hubbardston
- Evergreen Cemetery, Leominster
- Evergreen Cemetery, New Braintree
- Fairview Cemetery, Grafton
- Fay Cemetery, Athol
- Forest Hill Cemetery, Fitchburg
- Forest Hill Cemetery, Hubbardston
- Friends Burial Ground, Bolton
- Friends Burying Ground, Uxbridge, aka, Friends Cemetery #21
- Friends Cemetery, Northbridge
- Gardner State Hospital Cemetery, Gardner
- George Cemetery, Mendon
- Glen Valley Cemetery, Barre
- Goose Hill Cemetery, Rutland
- Gore Cemetery, Grafton
- Green Bower Cemetery, Gardner
- Green Hollow Cemetery, Oakham
- Greenlawn Cemetery, Templeton
- Grove Cemetery, Holden
- Hale Cemetery, New Braintree
- Harvard Center Cemetery, Harvard, aka. Old Cemetery
- Hebrew Cemetery, Worcester
- High Plains Cemetery, West Boylston, aka, Oakdale Memorial Cemetery
- Highland Cemetery, Athol
- Hillside Cemetery, Auburn
- Hillside Cemetery, Royalston
- Hillside Cemetery, Sterling
- Hillside East Cemetery, Shrewsbury
- Hillside West Cemetery, Shrewsbury
- Holy Rosary Cemetery, Spencer, aka, Mary Queen of the Rosary Cemetery, Saint Marys Cemetery
- Holy Trinity Cemetery, Dudley
- Hope Cemetery, Worcester
- Hopedale Village Cemetery, Hopedale
- Howard Street Cemetery, Northborough
- Jenkins Cemetery, Barre
- Kendal Plain Cemetery, Barre
- Lakeside Cemetery, Webster
- Lakeview Cemetery, Upton
- Laurel Hill Cemetery, Fitchburg
- Lawrence Brook Cemetery, Royalston
- Ledgeville Cemetery, Petersham
- Lee Cemetery, Barre
- Legg Cemetery, Sterling
- Lincoln Cemetery, Barre
- Locust Hill Cemetery, Mendon, aka, Davenport Cemetery
- Lower Cemetery, Phillipston
- Maplewood Cemetery, Upton
- Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Winchendon
- Middle Cemetery, Lancaster
- Miles Holden Cemetery, Barre, aka, Number 10 Cemetery
- Mooreland Cemetery, Paxton
- Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Athol
- Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Westminster
- Mount Vernon Cemetery, West Boylston, aka, Old Burying Ground and Town Cemetery
- Mount Zion Cemetery, Webster, aka, East Village Cemetery and Webster-Dudley Cemetery
- Mountain View Cemetery, Shrewsbury
- New Boston Cemetery, Winchendon
- New Sherborn Cemetery, Athol
- Newton Cemetery, Royalston
- Nichewaug Cemetery, Petersham
- Nightingale Cemetery, Hubbardston, aka, Lovewell Cemetery
- Norcross Hill Cemetery, Templeton
- Norden Cemetery, Uxbridge, aka, Swedish Cemetery
- North Cemetery, Berlin
- North Cemetery, Lunenburg
- North Cemetery, New Braintree
- North Cemetery, Oxford
- North Cemetery, Princeton
- North Cemetery, Sturbridge
- North Purchase Cemetery, Milford
- North Village Cemetery, Lancaster
- Northside Cemetery, Charlton
- Northwest Cemetery, Petersham
- Notre Dame Cemetery, Worcester
- Notre Dame Cemetery, Gardner
- Oak Hill Cemetery, Sterling
- Oak Ridge Cemetery, Southbridge
- Oakham Center Cemetery, Oakham, aka, Old Graveyard by the Church
- Old Cemetery, Mendon
- Old Centre Burial Ground, Winchendon
- Old First Cemetery, Upton
- Old Settlers Burial Yard, Lancaster
- Old Swedish Cemetery, Worcester, aka, Swedish Cemetery
- Parish Cemetery, Hubbardston
- Parker Cemetery, Barre
- Parker Cemetery, Princeton
- Pigeon Hill Cemetery, Sutton
- Pine Grove Cemetery, Boylston
- Pine Grove Cemetery, Douglas
- Pine Grove Cemetery, Hubbardston
- Pine Grove Cemetery, Leicester
- Pine Grove Cemetery, Leominster
- Pine Grove Cemetery, Milford
- Pine Grove Cemetery, Northbridge (Whitinsville)
- Pine Grove Cemetery, North Grafton
- Pine Grove Cemetery, Oakham
- Pine Grove Cemetery, Spencer
- Pine Grove Cemetery, Templeton
- Pine Grove Cemetery, Upton
- Pine Grove Cemetery, Warren
- Pine Grove Cemetery, Westborough
- Pine Grove Cemetery, West Brookfield, aka, Barnes Memorial Cemetery
- Pine Hill Cemetery, Mendon
- Pleasant Street Cemetery, Mendon
- Plummer Avenue Cemetery, Northbridge
- Podunk Cemetery, East Brookfield
- Polish National Catholic Church Cemetery, Blackstone
- Prospect Hill Cemetery, Uxbridge
- Putnam Cemetery, Sutton
- Quaker Cemetery, Leicester, aka, Spider Gates Cemetery
- Riverdale Cemetery, Northbridge
- Riverside Cemetery, Barre
- Riverside Cemetery, Grafton
- Riverside Cemetery, Royalston
- Riverside Cemetery, Winchendon
- Rural Glen Cemetery, Hubbardston
- Sacred Heart Cemetery, Milford
- Sacred Heart Cemetery, West Brookfield
- Saint Aloysius Cemetery, Hardwick
- Saint Anne Cemetery, Sturbridge
- Saint Anne's Cemetery, Shrewsbury
- Saint Anthony Cemetery, Webster
- Saint Bernard's Cemetery, Fitchburg
- Saint Brigid Cemetery, Millbury
- Saint Cecilias Cemetery, Leominster
- Saint Charles Cemetery, Blackstone
- Saint Denis Cemetery, Ashburnham
- Saint Denis Cemetery, Douglas
- Saint George Cemetery, Southbridge
- Saint John's Cemetery, Lancaster
- Saint John's Cemetery, Worcester
- Saint Johns Cemetery, Gardner
- Saint Joseph Cemetery, Fitchburg
- Saint Joseph Cemetery, North Brookfield
- Saint Joseph Cemetery, Webster
- Saint Joseph's Cemetery, Gardner
- Saint Josephs Cemetery, Barre, aka, Joyce Cemetery
- Saint Josephs Cemetery, Leicester
- Saint Lazuras Cemetery, Charlton
- Saint Leo Cemetery, Leominster
- Saint Lukes Cemetery, Westborough
- Saint Lukes Cemetery, West Boylston
- Saint Mary Cemetery, Holden
- Saint Mary's Cemetery, Milford
- Saint Marys Cemetery, Southbridge
- Saint Marys Cemetery, Uxbridge
- Saint Michael Ukrainian Orthodox Cemetery, Blackstone
- Saint Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Parish Cemetery, Blackstone
- Saint Patricks Cemetery, Northbridge
- Saint Pauls Cemetery, Warren
- Saint Phillips Catholic Cemetery, Grafton
- Saint Roche Cemetery, Oxford
- Saint Stanislaus Cemetery, Blackstone
- Silver Lake Cemetery, Athol
- South Berlin Cemetery, Berlin
- South Burying Ground, Princeton
- South Cemetery, Lunenburg
- South Cemetery, Oakham
- South Cemetery, Oxford, aka, Church Street Cemetery
- South Cemetery, Phillipston
- South Hopedale Cemetery, Hopedale, aka, South Milford Cemetery
- South Sutton Cemetery, Sutton
- Southwest Cemetery, New Braintree
- Sutton Center Cemetery, Sutton, aka, Center Cemetery
- Swan Dale Cemetery, Mendon
- Templeton Common Burial Ground, Templeton, aka, Center Burial Ground
- Town Cemetery, Sutton, aka, Paupers Cemetery
- Union Cemetery, Charlton
- Vernon Grove Cemetery, Milford
- Village Cemetery, Dudley
- Walnut Grove Cemetery, North Brookfield
- West Auburn Burying Ground, Auburn
- West Burying Ground, Bolton
- West Cemetery, Princeton
- West Millbury Cemetery, Millbury, aka, Grass Hill Cemetery
- West Rutland Cemetery, Rutland
- West Street Cemetery, Fitchburg
- West Street Cemetery, Petersham
- West Sutton Cemetery, Sutton
- Westridge Cemetery, Charlton
- Wildwood Cemetery, Gardner
- Williams Cemetery, Petersham
- Woodlawn Cemetery, Clinton
- Woodlawn Cemetery, Princeton
- Woodside Cemetery, Westminster
- Worcester Common Burial Ground, Worcester
- Worcester County Memorial Park, Worcester
- Worcester Hebrew Cemetery, Worcester
- Worcester Rural Cemetery & Crematory, Worcester, aka, Rural Cemetery
