Preserving Cemetery Data in Bloomington-Normal Cemeteries

There are many ways in which we can preserve cemeteries.. When we think of preservation, we often think of physical restoration-type activities.  But the type of preservation project this article discusses is something we rabbits do all the time:  collect and preserve cemetery data.

Data can be in many forms, from various sources, and presented in several ways.  Of the most popular are gravestone data, such as photographs, transcriptions, and rubbings.  Another form of data comes from the collection transcription of actual cemetery records.

There are so many projects going on across the globe.  Cemeteries aren't getting any younger and preserving the data is becoming dire.  Data is showing up in many ways, from traditional books to various types of websites, such as Find A Grave.

In terms of Bloomington-Normal cemeteries, much work has been done by the McLean County Genealogical Society.  There are currently 20 volumes of cemetery records for McLean County compiled and more on the way.  Below is a listing of the volumes that pertain to Bloomington-Normal cemeteries:

• Volume 3 - Bloomington Township Cemeteries  (B-N cemeteries covered in this volume: Blooming Grove, Grassy Ridge, Jewish, Orendorff, Woodlawn)
• Volume 5 - Dale Township Cemeteries (B-N cemeteries covered in this volume: Scogin Hill)
• Volume 8 - Dry Grove Township Cemeteries (B-N cemeteries covered in this volume: East Twin Grove, Lantz)
• Volume 10 - Old Town & Downs Township Cemeteries (B-N cemeteries covered in this volume: Bishop)
• Volumes 14-1 to 14-3 - St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery
• Volume 15 - St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery
• Volume 17 - Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
• Volume 19 - Evergreen Memorial Cemetery
• Volume 20 - Park Hill Cemetery

All of these books are available in the MCGS library or can be ordered using this form.

This article was written for the May 2009 edition of the  Graveyard Rabbits Carnival.