Genealogy and How

by Pris Weathers

The internet contains many articles with great information on transcribing cemeteries by hand, however, there is little on using digital cameras. There is a big difference between the two; both have faults & benefits. This article will try and bridge the gap to save you time, errors, and maybe a second trip to the same cemetery using a camera.

When transcribing a cemetery by hand, you will add notes as you go. An example would be: You are transcribing a double marker for John and Mary Smith. Smith is at the top and the John and Mary are listed at the bottom, John on one side, Mary on the other. As you are transcribing, you would write John Smith & Mary Smith, even though Smith was not beside each name. When photographing, you photograph John, then Mary. Once at home, you might be wondering what John and Mary’s last name is. Was it Johnson, Smith, or Jones.

In order to prevent this, photograph one picture that includes the whole marker. This is what I call the Main picture. Always do this first. You won’t be able to necessarily read everything on the marker, but you will be able to see it in its entirety and see its layout. Second, move in as close at you can to get the names on your screen. These are called Close-ups. Do not zoom in. Physically move in as close as you can. The reason for this – if you zoom in with your camera, you will not be able to blow it up on your computer without it becoming grainy, so physically get close to the names.

Always photograph in the same order. Left to right, right to left, it doesn’t matter, just do it in the same order every time. When you get home, and you are looking at the photographs and you have only photographed left to right, then you would have a photograph with a marker Smith, then John, then Mary, then one with Johnson, then Benjamin. You will know that John and Mary are John and Mary Smith and Benjamin is Benjamin Johnson. If you had photographed right to left then left to right, you could have come up with Benjamin Smith, and John & Mary Jones, which would be incorrect.

If John has a Military Marker, photograph the Main picture, then John’s Close Up, then his Military Marker, then go on to Mary. Otherwise, you will have to flip back and forth or assume you have two John’s when you get home. Should the marker have a cameo photograph on it, get right up to it without zooming and photograph it after you do a Close Up of the names.

The sun doesn’t really play a part in written transcriptions, but in digital transcriptions, your shadow over the marker, can make it unsightly. If it is a flat marker, you have the option of shooting it upside down from the backside of the marker and flipping it over at home. If it is a tall marker, and you can see your reflection in the marker, you will see it on the picture. Try standing just to the side of the marker to take yourself out of the picture.

You can safely shoot a single name stand-up marker that fills the camera screen with one close up. A double marker will need one Main shot and two Close-ups, and a triple marker - one Main and three Close-ups. Using your Main Photograph, you will know when one Family lot stops, and the new one starts.

Once at home, never rename your photographs – leave them as they were formatted on the camera because the names are in sequence, in the order that you shot them. If you started at the front of the cemetery, you will be able to go right back to the marker or you could give directions back to it. If you rename them, Mary Smith.jpg or Smith, Mary.jpg you will spend all day trying to find them again and you will never know who was buried next to who, as many families have several names associated to them. A little foresight photographing and planning will make it a valuable asset to future generations.