RootsChat.Com
Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Ross & Cromarty => Topic started by: smidget on Thursday 20 September 12 00:20 BST (UK)
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In Canada, when someone is buried in a cemetery, there is a headstone placed on the grave with the persons DOB & DOD.
I've found memorial stones in Scotland with several family members mentioned, even when they died & were buried elsewhere.
Does everyone have a headstone or grave marker? My great great grandmother, Catherine MacKenzie nee Matheson died in Killearnan, Ross-shire in 1867.
She was born in Lochalsh, lived in Inverness while married (1826-1841), she was in Lochcarron in 1861 and then died in Killearnan 7 years later. Her son, my great grandfather was present when she died so they kept contact and I was sure he would have put a marker someplace for his parents. I was hoping if I could find her grave marker, it may mention her husband, John MacKenzie. He was supposedly drowned when his ship went down sometime around 1840 but I can't find mention of it anywhere.
Can someone suggest how and where I might look for either Catherine's grave marker or information on my gg grandfather John?
Thanks
Janet
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Not everyone had a gravestone (they cost money etc.) and not every gravestone survives (effects of weather, sinking below the surface of the ground etc.). Some parishes kept burial registers or have notes in their accounts about payments for hire of the mortcloth (a heavy cloth loaned out to cover he coffin) which give indications of a date of death. These records do not always survive. From the mid 19th century, many parishes kept more detailed records of burials and where a cemetery continued in use into the twentieth century, the local council usually has these and can often give a precise location of any unmarked grave and a note of who was buried there and when. You would have to let the council know the name of a person and their date of death for them to be able to locate the burial lair. Once the lair is found, there should be a note of everyone buried there since recording started. When death certificates were introduced in 1855, the place of burial was included for several years, then it was discontinued. If you know a date of death for the later 19th and the 20th centuries, there might be a funeral notice in the local newspaper giving a note of the cemetery.
Various family history societies have recorded and published the monumental inscriptions in their area. It might be worth asking a moderator to move this to the Ross-shire board as people with more knowledge of that specific area might be able to give you more specific help.
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Thank you for your reply.
I had thought that since Catherine was living in Inverness when her husband died and her son was still living there when she died, that maybe there was a marker there for the elder John. When Catherine died, she might be added to her husband's stone or is it more likely that hers would be in Killearnan, where her death occurred?
It's quite possible that since John presumably died at sea and Catherine was a widow with a young son, she could not afford a stone.
Apparently there is a large memorial stone in Kirkhill, Inverness-shire that has the younger John, his wife and some of his children. If his parents don't have mention on another stone somewhere, I expected them to be added to the one in Kirkhill.
I may never know but at some point I hope to make a trip to Scotland to go through these cemeteries.
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It might be of use to look at the newspaper index on the Am Baile site run by Highland Council. www.ambaile.org.uk
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try ross and cromarty roots ,go to the grave headstones.there a small box on your left side if you press it it will give you names of all grave-yards.i traced some of my relations doing this.
good-luck. Irene.
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I looked through the gravestones for Catherine MacKenzie or Matheson in
Killearn but couldn't see your GG/Grandmother. Inverness is not covered.
sorry I couldn't help you but I will keep looking around. :)
Joy
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try burial grounds ross and Cromarty roots.when you go on it press headstones ,they have all headstones of a lot of grave-yards in ross-shire.
good luck.
Irene.
http://www.rosscromartyroots.co.uk/index.asp