Genealogy Chat

Hi all, I know when and area my ggrandad and family lived and died. I have now phoned 3 cemeteries who could cover that area. They all have very kindly checked for me but nothing found. Is there any other way. Thanks Ann

Ann The only other way I know, is to move slowly outwards in circles...sorry! OC

Isn't there a website called cemsearch - with the usual www and dots uk etc? Also there are several sites for various cemeteries on line - which area of the Country are you looking an what dates? Dea x

Ann, don't forget that he could have been cremated rather than buried. Kate.

Thanks Old Crone, Going round in circles already, so another one wont make much difference. Dea, There is a site 'cem search' and I have looked at that. I have a list of all cemeteries round Manchester, but the numbers I have phoned cover most of them. Ann

Why do I get a mential image of Olde crone wih her metal detector? Also I would go back to the first cemetery you asked and ask them for ideas. Another thing.......might there have been a death notice in the local paper? They often mention the funeral/burial/cremation venue. Merry

Hi Kate, I would think he was buried rather than cremated, as he was a Catholic, and they didn't normally cremate, not in the late 1800's or early 1900's. Ann

rather than phone cemetaries your better bet would be to phone the Parks & Cemetaries dept of the local council of the area he died in OR his former address on the death cert cos the hospital might be out of the area. They can search their records for around his death date & hopefully come up with the answer. Has worked for me on three occasions and didnt cost anything. Depends tho how helpful the local coucil is being!! Shirley

I would go with Merry's suggestion if you know when they died. Check the local papers for that time as they might have the info - it could also have messages from relatives which could help with names of relatives and even friends. Also check a year ahead for the anniversaries and see if there are any messages from relatives then aswell.

A good idea Merry, now all I need to know is where to look for old newspapers, without having to go into Manchester, to Central Library. The first Cemetery I phoned have info on computer and they were the ones who gave me the other phone numbers. Ann

Have you tried http://www.familyhistoryonline.net ? It's pay-per-view, but it's free to search, and only costs a few pence to view the record. I've found quite a lot of burials there. If you look at the coverage page, it tells you which areas it covers.

Hello Ann, in my experience the quickest way to find details of a death is to first check to see if they have made a will, these are usually on the open shelves at the Record Office. At least you will have an address to give you an idea of the nearest Catholic cemetery.

Don't know if youve tried this, but if you go onto ukbmd.org, then click on Lancashire. On the Home Page, scroll down and you will find some links to websites which cover burials in Lancashire. A bit hit and miss, but its a start. Don't forget, that as a Catholic, he would be buried in what is, strictly speaking, the Nonconformist section of any cemetery. There is a huge cemetery in Lancs - name escapes me, but I think its near Liverpool, which seems to have a lot of Catholic burials in the late 1800s - most Churchyards were full up by then and people often had a long way to go to be buried in a municipal cemetery. OC

Thanks to everybody who have given me some ideas as to where to look. I will try a few of them out. I think I am safe in thinking they were buried here in Manchester. I have checked all nonconformist parts of the cemeteries, still not found. I dont know if there would be a will, my family didnt go in for that sort of thing, or so my Gran told me. Ann

Don't forget that if the family was poor, they might have buried in the Church Graveyard but not been able to afford a memorial stone. Chris

Chris Thtat's right but there should still be plot reference---some of mine have no stone but a plot ref. no.

In a city in the South where I knew of ancestors, I was able to find grave locations by contacting the Bereavement Services for that town. They supplied grave locations and information about other family members buried there. Their records were computerised so it wasn't difficult for them to make a search, given name and approximate date of death. Anything similar in Manchester? Gwyn

Old Crone, the Catholic Cemetery you mention near Liverpool is Ford Cemetery, and as you say when graveyards and cemeteries became full they built large cemeteries on the outskirts. Although my grandparents lived and died in Everton, ( Liverpool ) they were buried in Ford. Also there are RC sections as well as C/E and Non Conformists .

Thanks Poirot the one I was thinking of was called something like 'The Lancashire Necropolis' I think. OC

Sorry to keep butting in ! but in answer to Old Crone ( 'what a name to go to the alter with ? laugh ) The Necropolis was a very old cemetery in Liverpool on the corner of West Derby Road and Everton Road, it was flattened years ago and laid out as gardens with pathways. Known now as Grant Gardens.