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The Cemetery Committee is currently taking digital photographs of grave markers in Chesterfield County. To date, over 5,000 photos have been taken and most of these can be viewed on the computer at our library.
Keeping photographic
records of grave markers serves many purposes. It is the only way to view a marker without actually going on site. And many of Chesterfield’s family graveyards are difficult to access, either due their remote location or because they are on
private land.
Photographs of grave markers are permanent and authoritative. The entire marker, and not just the inscription, is evident. The art with its symbolism, and the materials from which the marker is made are documented. In the event
of theft, vandalism, destruction or even ordinary wear and tear, a photograph becomes proof of that marker’s existence.
Often a photograph of a grave marker will make it easier to read or show detail that might have been missed in the
field. Checking a photograph can also help to clear up any discrepancies that arise from incorrectly recorded markers.
Digitally photographing the markers in a graveyard is both fast and economical. About 200 markers may be photographed
within an hour’s time. Organizing the photographs on the computer is virtually automatic and storage problems become a thing of the past.
When completed, there will be nearly 15,000 photographs in this collection. CHS library users are
most welcome to view these photos with the help of one of our librarians. We hope you’ll stop by.
1. Researchers walked for 40 minutes through a heavily wooded area to access the Cheatham & Brooks Cemetery. Most of the old roads accessing the sites were unusable due to recent rain.
2. To access the Hatcher cemetery researchers
jumped over a moat and then climbed over fallen trees.
3. Sarah Gant’s funeral home marker won’t hold up for too many more years! It is just legible enough for researchers to get a name and date. From that information an
obituary was obtained confirming that she is indeed buried in the Miller family cemetery. Sadly, there are 4 illegible funeral home markers in this cemetery. We may never know whose graves they mark.
4. Did we make a mistake when we recorded that
Naomi Collier died on April 31?
Submitted by Rachel Lipowicz
5/4/05
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