By Michelle Ann Kratts, Library Clerk & Genealogist-in-Training
Niagara Falls Memorial Park Cemetery
On to another cemetery…My graveyard investigations took me to another family cemetery, Niagara Falls Memorial Park Cemetery, located at 5871 Military Road in Lewiston. I go to this cemetery often as my very good friend, the other Mrs. Kratts, is laid to rest here. Established in 1929, it’s a beautiful location and peaceful (as it should be) but I can’t help but feel that there is something missing as it contains only brass ground markers and no headstones. Some of the older markers are slowly becoming overgrown with grass and one can barely read the names. It’s sad when you stumble upon an entire family in a neat little row and there is no one left to tend to their graves.
For the genealogist, this cemetery is a friendly stop. The office for the records is located beside the vintage style stone chapel. The current caretaker has indexed all 12, 138 residents onto a CD-ROM in alphabetical order. He has kept excellent records. The original index cards may even state the name of the funeral director and the cause of death. He was very kind to make some copies of these index cards for my records. Of course, it was necessary to run back to the library in order to consult my many genealogy books for the meaning of hypertensive encephalopathy and chronic nephritis. This could get interesting…
On another friendly note… grave rubbings are encouraged here, and Mike, the caretaker, even took the time to show me how it is done and with which materials he uses. When done properly there is no damage done to any of the markers and a grave rubbing is such a wonderful memento.
Obviously, a cemetery records office can be a goldmine for a genealogist. Just one word of advice: Do not take any source of information for granted. Please treat all keepers of information with great respect and courtesy. Be patient with them. In reality, they are not obligated to give you anything. So often I hear of pushy, rude and obnoxious genealogists that are giving us all a bad name. Of course, no one will want to go that extra mile if they are treated poorly. Remember that you will get much better results with a professional attitude and a friendly demeanor. Working on your family history should be a pleasurable experience that lasts a lifetime.
Filed under: Genealogy Room
