Why you Need to Personally Check Memorial Inscriptions

The Chieftain

Just thought I would make a few comments on the need to personally check for memorial inscriptions, rather than rely on published transcriptions.

I see two reasons why personal visits and readings are worthwhile, maybe even essential.

a) Most transcripts are incomplete. This can work both ways - e.g. in comparing memorial transcripts with those generated by the late Brian J. Cantwell, I have found many obvious memorials he surprisingly missed (using his selection criteria), but on the other hand, he also recorded quite a few memorials that I am simply unable to locate, despite numerous attempts.

b) Published transcripts can be inaccurate. I give just one example below.

As an example of inaccuracy, I will use an example from Our Lady's Island, where there are three versions available. Two published, and one by myself.

1) The first version of this memorial was published in the Journal of the Association for the Preservation of Memorials of the Dead, Vol. XII, 1927

Here Lieth the body of Philip/
Rathford of Ballysampson/
who departed this life Decr? 1811/
aged 70 years also Margaret Rathford/
alias Gillen who departed this life/
February 1st 1785 aged 40 years/
also the body of his son Richard/
who dead this life March/
23rd 1841 aged 68 years/

2) The second version is that recorded by Cantwell in May 1983. From a comment of his, that he could not find the above memorial, it is apparent that he did not recognize that the following was his version of the same memorial.

Here leith the body of Philip/
Mashford of Bally(arm?)ofon who/
depd this life Dec... 1811/
agd 70 yrs also Margaret Mashford/
alias Cullin who depd this life/
February 1st 1785 aged 40 yrs/
also the body of his son
Richard who depd this life/
March 23rd 1841 aged 63 years/

3) The third version is that which I personally recorded on 28 June 1997.
IHS/
Glory be to God on High/
Here lieth the Body of Philip/
Rashford of Ballysampson who/
depd this life Dec 19th(?) 1811 Agd/
70 yrs. Also Margaret Rashford/
alias Cullin who depd this life/
February 1 1785 aged 40 years/
Also the Body of his Son/
Richard who depd this life/
March 23rd 1841 aged 63 yrs/
Also his wife Mrs Catherine/
Rashford who died/
June ..... 1868 aged 83 yrs/
Lord have Mercy on their Souls/

As you can see, the three reading differ as to surnames and place names, and the first two completely omit the last person listed on the gravestone. I will vouch for the accuracy of my version - of course, when they are all your own direct ancestors, there is an added incentive to get it right!
And just to cap it all off, the date of death for Margaret Rochford given on the tombstone (1/2/1785) must be mistaken! She gave birth to a son on 23 January 1786, so the correct date of death is presumably 1 February, 1786. According to the parish registers of Our Lady’s Island, Catherine Rochford died on June 14th 1868, supplying the date of death which was unreadable on the stone.

As an aside, I will note that the Rashford (i.e. Rochford) farmhouse in Ballysampson is the one signposted and listed as the birthplace of Commodore John Barry, the founder of the US Navy.
http://www.ihpc.ie/ihpc/Images/Pictures/Wexford/WX-00393-BALLYSAMPSON-D.jpg

Hermy

I think it goes without saying that where possible one should always try to see original items first hand for accurate transcriptions. The researcher of the specific may have other knowledge that aids transcription which may not be available to the person who is only transcribing on behalf of others.

But there is another reason to always aim to see original items first hand where possible - be that a document, a doorway or a field in the middle of nowhere. These items will have been signed or held or even walked on by our ancestors and being brought at least notionally closer to our past definitely adds something to the work of trying to understand the lives of those who came before us.

KildareFan

Good point which also relates to transcriptions of other sources. Personal knowledge of family/placenames can often help in transcribing what seems to be an illegible scrawl.

I always want to see the original before believing the transcription - even what might appear to be authoritative sources. I found in the February edition of the magazine Who Do You Think You Are an article on notes written by Thomas Thomson, a miner who died in a mining accident in England, around 1924. The article transcribed one of the notes while providing an image of the original which contradicted the transcription:
The article suggests the following transcription:
Dear Lizzie and Willie Thomson - your dear father Tom. One hope to hand, a last hope, I give myself up to the lord.

I transcribed the following from the image which was fairly clear:
Dear Lizzy and W Thomson
to be your mother
you der father Tom
and no help to hand a lost hope and
I give my self high to lord.

tabbey

I agree with everything said above.

One reason why we cannot find some headstones recorded by Cantwell etc, is that the stones have fractured or fallen on their faces in the intervening decades. One of my ancestors had a plaque on the wall of a church ruin in a country churchyard. This was observed by an American researcher on her first visit about 40 years ago. Less than ten years later it had disappeared.

Another likely ancestor was in Kilsaran churchyard, I had looked through this cemetery, and not noticed it. I found it recorded in Canon Leslie's book, and subsequently looked again, it was almost face down, lying across the plinth. Without Leslie, I would never have found it.

Hermy

One good thing about stones lying face down is that it protects the writing from weathering and erosion.

The Chieftain

tabbey wrote: »

One reason why we cannot find some headstones recorded by Cantwell etc, is that the stones have fractured or fallen on their faces in the intervening decades. One of my ancestors had a plaque on the wall of a church ruin in a country churchyard. This was observed by an American researcher on her first visit about 40 years ago. Less than ten years later it had disappeared.

Yes indeed, another sad reason for the disappearance of memorials is human action. The headstone of one great-great-grandmother of mine is now lost, destroyed, apparently never to be recovered. As soon as the historic urban graveyard where she rests was opened to the public, after being closed for decades, the "public" decided it would make a wonderful recreational area for drugs and drink. Her memorial cross is now missing - which also means that the broken pieces were simply removed, rather than being preserved by whoever is in authority (the CofI, Wexford Corporation, and the CC all denied responsibility to me).

That said, I believe the main reason for not finding many recorded memorials is the overgrown state of so many of our graveyards.

Hermy

This headstone is an example of the benefit of the passing of time causing a stone to lean over.
The inscription has been shielded from the weather and is still perfectly legible after nearly three hundred years.

The Chieftain

Hermy wrote: »

This headstone is an example of the benefit of the passing of time causing a stone to lean over.
The inscription has been shielded from the weather and is still perfectly legible after nearly three hundred years.

I grew up in a family where visiting a graveyard was an event. And not just the official Pattern Sundays, which were religiously observed, but any day out could be enhanced by visiting the local churchyard. I must be old, as it makes me sad to think that the traditional Patterns have all but died out - in a very real way, they introduced me to genealogy from my earliest days.

tabbey

Unfortunately I was never brought to visit my ancestors graves.

I had to find them the hard way since taking up family history, decades after my parents died.

That said, it was all the more satisfying, emotional, indeed exciting, to discover my ancestors graves.
The first that I looked for was that of my paternal grandfather. I remembered my father saying that there was a list of attenders at the funeral, in the paper. Having got the death cert, I had the date, found the paper, then viewed the cemetery register to get the grave co-ordinates, and find the grave.

It was emotional, and the first of many. Eventually, it became one of the sources, in searching for ancestors, but it is always special.