The Tree of Me

This is my post for week 14 of   Shauna Hicks  challenge for 2014.  Shauna said that t his blog challenge is to stimulate my own genealogy blogging efforts in 2014 by focusing on a different kind of genealogical record each week. I wanted a challenge that reflected my own archival background as well as my own genealogy interests and there are probably lots of other records that I could have included. The challenge has an Australian focus but most of these records will be found just about anywhere in the genealogy world. My husband's direct ancestors in Australia are buried from Glen Innes to Uralla - a mere 1.5 hours driving time. My direct ancestors however, are buried in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia. This means, that  wherever I go there just happens to be an ancestor buried there. My daughter once asked if a visitor wanted to see our holiday photos - yes they were headstones. There is now a proliferation of Websites suc...

Today I have spent some time on the website Everafter . The following is taken from their website. A graveyard is one of the most accessible sources for studying a community’s history. Each one is unique and has its own collection of headstones, many of which will, unfortunately, deteriorate through neglect, weather or vandalism; some eventually becoming completely illegible.  everafter  has modernised the way the deaths of our loved ones are recorded.  We provide Parishes and Councils with a complete set of up-to-date graveyard records and an online Graveyard Management System to record future burials.    The  everafter  team recognise the importance of preserving the information held by graveyards and we are committed to delivering a unique, high quality service which will guarantee that an accurate record of the deceased exists  everafter . Many of the cemeteries that have been recorded are from the Magherafelt area of County Derry...

Thanks to a post at  Irish Genealogy News  alerting us to the launch of  IrishGraveyards . The website is the result of GPS and eye mapping by a surveying company. The company then creates a digital map of the graveyard and erects a sign showing the names and locations of those buried in the graveyard. The website allows you to search the graveyards to locate specific graves or to browse through a graveyard. The website contains a map showing graveyards which have been surveyed. The majority are in the north and west. There are photographs of each of the headstones.  I searched the site for 4 of my Northern Ireland surnames - Agnew, Birt, Lagan and McElwee. I drew a blank with Agnew and Birt. However, the were a large number of both Lagans and McElwees. The McElwees on this particular site do not come from near my McElwee family. However, my search for Lagan has proved more fruitful. My gggg grandparents Andrew and Rosanna Lagan (neeMcElwee) are buried at Swatragh...