The Cemetery Detective, Author at The Cemetery Detective™

Fernhill Memorial Cemetery – Stuart Florida

Fernhill Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Stuart, Florida offers tropical bauble filled trees, glinting sunbeams, and finely manicured lawns.

Sunny Stuart Florida

is blazing hot in the middle of summertime but the cooler months are completely bearable with warm breezes and glistening beams of sunshine. Palm and other tropical trees grow in the fertile soil and St. Augustine Grass makes for a soft cushion underfoot.

It was one particular warm day and one particular sunbeam that cause my attention last July when I strolled the grounds of Fernhill Memorial Gardens. I love when relatives make their family plots places of celebration. This particular plot is adorned with hanging baubles catching sunlight making a visit to this cemetery less sad.

Lebanon In The Fork First Presbyterian Cemetery

Lebanon In The Fork Presbyterian Cemetery overlooks the muddy headwaters of the Tennessee River.

Lebanon Church Cemetery Near the Fork of the Holston and French Broad

Near the confluence of the Holston River and French Broad River a church burned down in 1981. Its bell and columns were saved but, other than those items, the most enduring visual reminder of the Lebanon Presbyterian church are the tombstones of the old church cemetery.

There is a quarry nearby. Tread carefully along the well-worn footpath toward the rear of the cemetery.

Cemetery Hunting Trip Goes Wrong

Searching for Cemeteries. The adventure is in the journey….even when I don’t find the cemetery.

My cemetery hunting trips don’t always go as planned.

Last week, as I was hunting for a cemetery atop a mountain, in a storm, miles away from civilization, and without cell service, my van broke down. Luckily, I was able to turn around on the narrow mountain road. I coasted down the mountain and limped back home at 25 MPH. I found a YouTubing mechanic who has a video detailing the exact symptoms of my van’s problem.

This video does not feature a specific cemetery. Sometimes, the adventure is in the travel even if we don’t reach our intended destination.

Fairview Cemetery – Niagara Falls Ontario Canada

Fairview Cemetery is near the Canadian side of Horseshoe Falls, Ontario Canada

On a chilly New Year’s Eve morning, the last day of 2015, I braved the brisk Canadian winds for a quick run along the Niagara River southward toward Horseshoe Falls. The frigid cold invigorated my lungs but, as my eyes watered, I feared my face would freeze into a block of ice.

After checking into my hotel for a 30 minute HOT shower, I ventured out into the Canadian winter for a drive to Fairview Cemetery Ontario, Canada.

Cemetery at John O’ Groats – Scotland

I found one cemetery in John O’ Groats, Scotland.

It was a typical angst ridden summer. I’d recently graduated college where I’d spent my senior year working in a bank loan office. After graduation, I spent two months hitchhiking and riding trains throughout the British Isles on a BritRail Pass. I stayed with relatives in Liverpool for most of summer vacation but when I outstayed my welcome I would hop on a train and visit the countryside. One week, I traveled as far north as the train tracks took me and spent several nights in a Youth Hostel in John O’ Groats, Scotland. Travelling the rails and meeting other recent graduates who were trying to find themselves filled me with a desire to never stop traveling and exploring the world.

I found one cemetery in John O’ Groats, Scotland. Though I have dozens of pictures of the Youth Hostel and the countryside, I only have one picture of one gravestone.

It was a beautiful summer and I hope to get back to John O’ Groats someday soon to further explore the cemeteries there.

Stanford Cemetery – Stanfordville, New York 12581

Stanford Cemetery in Stanfordville, New York.

On a foggy, rainy, December I stood on the crest of the hill above Stanford Church in Stanfordville, New York.

The church was closed but there were no closed gates on the long graded driveway leading into the cemetery. Birch lined the perimeter of the graveyard. Leaves are always a consideration this time of year but the grounds crews had already made short work of the autumn leaf fall. The cemetery grounds were immaculate and I enjoyed walking among the gravestones.

Cemetery Research Tool

Cemetery research tool to research cemeteries.

I love cemeteries, I love technology, and I love technology that helps me research cemeteries.

Here is a video I made of a brand new cemetery research tool.

Please subscribe to my YouTube channel and this blog to keep up with my latest cemetery exploration adventures.

Rainy Day in a Cemetery – Plus: Google Earth File for Bermuda Cemeteries

Google Earth .kmz file of the Cemeteries of Bermuda

Rainy day in a cemetery. It’s rained here for 4 days in a row…a bit depressing.

Google Earth is such a significant and easy-to-use graphical mapping tool that I put many of my cemetery hunting trips onto the Google Earth Servers. I made a .kmz file for Bermuda Cemeteries. It includes photographic overlays of each cemetery.

Once you have installed Google Earth onto your computer, download this Google Earth file. You will be able to tour the cemeteries of Bermuda from the comfort of your own home.

Please let me know how you like this mapping project.

Bermuda Cemeteries Google Earth File

St. Paul’s Cemetery – Bermuda – Finding a Zinc Monument on Bermuda

As a cemetery enthusiast, I am always excited to find Zinc Monuments.

St. Paul’s Cemetery contains a Zinc (White Bronze) grave marker from the Monumental Bronze Company.

As a cemetery enthusiast, I am always excited to find Zinc Monuments. My casual tour of St. Paul’s Cemetery turned into excitement as I found a zinc marker.

Zinc Monuments are fairly common in United States’ Cemeteries. However, I did not expect to find a zinc monument on Bermuda. Zinc monuments were sold by the Monumental Bronze Company between 1875 and 1912. They were sold under the name of White Bronze as a marketing gimmick to make them more appealing than using the word “zinc.”

A rare find of a Zinc grave marker from the Monumental Bronze Company.

I always love finding Zinc grave markers in cemeteries. To the trained eye, they are easy to spot. It’s fun “showing off” to people interested in cemeteries. “See that grave stone? If I rap it with my knuckles, it will ring out like metal.” And when they realize it’s hollow, they love exploring the inscriptions and removable panels (never remove a panel unless you have permission of the owner. Here’s a short video I made of zinc markers in the snow: