Cemetery records and cemeteries in general are a very large part of our family history and is a significant pursuit for many genealogists. Sometimes, the information on a headstone is the only information available for certain ancestors.
What can you find in these records? How about birth, marriage, and death information and clues to military service, religion, and organization memberships. Location of the burial plot, tombstone inscriptions, cemetery maps, sexton registers, and headstone photos are also generally available.
Here are a few good primers on the benefits of searching cemetery records:
- FamilySearch – United States Cemeteries
- A Gravesite Can Reveal Remarkable Details About Your Ancestor, IF You Can Find It: Here’s How
- Rootsweb – Cemetery Records
I have not performed separate searches from Find a Grave, Billion Graves, or Interment.net by county or individual cemetery as that would be time prohibitive. Those sites are very useful, and you might find references to them from sub-collection links.
Note: Some of the links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
Below are links to cemetery, burial, and interment records as well as indexes and tombstone inscriptions that are available for free online.
General U.S.
- African American Cemeteries.com
- Billion Graves Index
- Find A Grave Index
- Names in Stone Cemetery Maps
- United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969
- US GenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project
- Veteran’s Nationwide Gravesite Locator
Massachusetts
- Acushnet, Bristol County, Old Colonial Burial Ground
- Amesbury Cemeteries, Burial Search
- Amherst Cemeteries, Record Search
- Athol, Chestnut Hill Cemetery, Burial Card Records early 1800s to mid-1990s
- Athol, Doe Valley/Ellinwood Cemetery, Burial Card Records
- Athol, Highland Cemetery, Burial Card Records mid 1800s to late 1900s
- Athol, Mt. Pleasant Cemetery () Burial Card Records mid 1700s to mid 1990s
- Athol, New Sherborn/Stratton Cemetery, Burial Card Records mid 1800s to early 1900s
- Athol, Silver Lake Cemetery, Burial Card Records mid 1800s to present
- Athol, Veterans’ Grave Registrations of Various Cemeteries
- Auburn, Worcester County, West Burial Ground
- Barnstable County Massachusetts Cemetery Records
- Barnstable County, Cemeteries
- Barnstable County, Cemeteries
- Barnstable County, Bourne National Cemetery, Bourne
- Barnstable County, Old Burial Ground, Brewster
- Barnstable County, St. Peter’s Cemetery, Sandwich
- Barnstable County, The Ancient Sears Cemetery, West Brewster
- Barre, Caldwell Cemetery, Cemetery Records
- Bedford, Middlesex County, Old Burial Ground
- Berkshire County Massachusetts Cemetery Records
- Berkshire County, Cemeteries
- Berkshire County, Cemeteries
- Berkshire County, Beth Israel Cemetery, Clarksburg
- Billerica, Cemeteries
- Boston Common, Central Burying Ground, Gravestone Inscriptions and Records of Tomb Burials
- Boston, Cemetery Department 1903-1904, 1904-1905
- Boston, Copp’s Hill Burial Ground, Epitaphs
- Boston, Copp’s Hill Epitaphs
- Boston, Granary Burying Ground, Gravestone Inscriptions and Records of Tomb Burials
- Boston, Historic Burying Grounds Initiative, Burial Search
- Boston, Inscriptions on the sepulchral monuments in the King’s Chapel Burial Ground
- Boston, St. Michael Cemetery, Burial Search
- Bourne, Cataumet Cemetery, Burials
- Braintree, Norfolk County – Inscriptions
- Bridgewater, Epitaphs
- Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Old Grave-yard
- Brighton, Mount Hope Cemetery and Evergreen Cemetery, Lot Owners
- Bristol County Massachusetts Cemetery Records
- Bristol County, Cemeteries
- Bristol County, Cemeteries
- Bristol County, Fall River, Oak Grove Cemetery
- Brookline, Walnut Street Cemetery, Burials and Inscriptions
- Cambridge, Epitaphs from the old burying ground
- Cambridge, Middlesex County – Epitaphs from the Old Burying Ground
- Cambridge, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Burial Search
- Canton, Knollwood Memorial Park, Burial Search
- Cape Cod Gravestones
- Carver, Plymouth County, Cemeteries and Records
- Centerville, Barnstable, Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery
- Charlestown, Middlesex County, Burying Ground Inscriptions
- Charlton, Cemeteries Burial Index
- Chatham, Cemetery Inscriptions
- Chelmsford Cemeteries, Burial Archive
- Chelmsford, Cemeteries, Grave Listings
- Colrain, Cemetery Records, abt. 1741-1859
- Concord, Old Burying Grounds, Gravemarker Data
- Dedham, Cemeteries, Burials
- Dedham, Epitaphs in the old Burial place
- Dedham, Norfolk County, First Parish Epitaphs, Ranges I-XIII
- Dedham, Norfolk County, First Parish Epitaphs, Ranges XIV-XIX plus other pre-1845 burials
- Dedham, Norfolk County, Second & Third Parish Epitaphs
- Deerfield, Franklin County – Inscriptions
- Dorchester, Epitaphs from the old burying ground
- Dorchester, Norfolk County, Old Burying Ground Inscriptions to 1750
- Dorchester, Suffolk County, First Burying Place Epitaphs
- Dukes County, Cemeteries
- Dukes County, Cemeteries
- Easton Cemetery Records
- Epitaphs from the Cemetery on Worcester Common, with occasional notes, references, and an index
- Essex County Massachusetts Cemetery Records
- Essex County, Cemeteries
- Essex County, Cemeteries
- Essex County, Danvers. Endicott Cemetery
- Essex County, Danvers. Endicott, Goodale, High, Leach, Locust Cemeteries
- Essex County, Danvers. Holton Cemetery
- Essex County, Danvers. Russell Family Cemetery
- Essex County, Danvers. Wadsworth Cemetery
- Essex County, Gloucester, Oak Grove Cemetery (partial)
- Essex County, Lynn, Old Burying Ground
- Essex County, Lynnfield, West Burying Ground 1813
- Essex County, Newbury, Byfield Parish Burial Ground
- Essex, Albaes, Gravestone Inscriptions
- Falmouth, Inscriptions upon stones in the Old Burying Ground
- Fitchburg, City Cemeteries, late 1700s to 2001
- Franklin County Massachusetts Cemetery Records
- Franklin County, Cemeteries
- Franklin County, Orange, North Cemetery
- Franklin County, Warwick, Warwick Cemetery, Rt. 78.
- Groton, Epitaphs from the old burying ground
- Groton, Epitaphs from the old burying ground
- Groton, Middlesex County – Old Burying Ground, 1704-1804 & 1804-1878 & Tombs
- Groveland, Ancient Burial Ground, Inscriptions
- Groveland, Essex County, Old Cemetery
- Groveland, Inscriptions from the old Cemetery
- Hamilton Cemetery, Record Search
- Hampden County Massachusetts Cemetery Records
- Hampden County, Cemeteries
- Hampden County, Cemeteries
- Hampshire County, Cemeteries
- Hampshire County, Cemeteries
- Hopkinton, Online Cemetery Records
- Hull, Plymouth County, Burying Ground Inscriptions
- Ipswich, Ancient Old North Burial Yard, transcriptions
- Ipswich, Old North Churchyard
- Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts, Burial Search
- Kingston, Death Records from the ancient Burial ground
- Kingston, Plymouth County, Ancient Burial Ground
- Lakeville, Plymouth County, Inscriptions (includes Freetown & Berkley)
- Lanesboro, Berkshire County, Cemetery Inscriptions
- Lee, Bristol County, Inscriptions in the Early Burial Grounds
- Leominster, Cemetery Records
- Lexington, Epitaphs, a copy of epitaphs in the old burying grounds
- Lexington, Middlesex County – Old Burying Ground, Surnames A-M
- Lexington, Middlesex County – Old Burying Ground, Surnames N-W
- Leyden, Franklin County, Cemetery Records
- Littleton, Westlawn Cemetery, Online Burial & Veteran Search
- Longmeadow Cemetery, Records
- Longmeadow, Western half of the Cemetery
- Lowell Cemetery, Civil War Veterans Burials
- Lowell Cemetery, Records
- Lowell, Cemeteries, Grave Listings
- Lowell, St. Patrick Cemetery, Burial Listing
- Lowell, St. Peter’s Cemetery, Burials
- Lynn, Essex County, Old Burying Ground
- Lynn, Inscriptions from the old burying ground
- Lynn, Old or Western Burying Ground, Record of interments
- Lynnfield Centre, Inscriptions from the old burying ground
- Malden, Cemeteries Burial Search
- Malden, Middlesex County, Old Burying Ground
- Marblehead, Old Burial Hill, Gravestone Index
- Marlborough, Burial Ground Inscriptions : Old Common, Spring Hill, and Brigham Cemeteries
- Marshfield, Plymouth County, Deaths & Burials
- Martha’s Vineyard, Gravestones and Cemeteries
- Massachusetts Gravestones
- Massachusetts, Jewish Cemeteries
- Methuen, Catalog of epitaphs from Ye Old Burying Ground on Meeting House Hill
- Methuen, Epitaphs of the Village Burying Ground
- Middlesex County Massachusetts Cemetery Records
- Middlesex County, Cambridge, Mt Auburn Cemetery
- Middlesex County, Cemeteries
- Middlesex County, Cemeteries
- Middlesex County, Chelmsford, Civil War Soldiers’ burials
- Middlesex County, Chelmsford, Forefathers Cemetery
- Middlesex County, Groton, Epitaphs from the Old Burial Ground
- Middlesex County, Maynard, Glenwood Cemetery (A-G)
- Middlesex County, Tewksbury. Old Burial Grounds, East Street
- Middlesex County, Woburn, Calvary Cemetery
- Milton, Cemetery
- Milton, Norfolk County, Old Cemetery Inscriptions to 1800
- Montgomery, Tombstone Inscriptions of all of the the Cemeteries
- Mount Auburn, Cemetery
- Nantucket County, Cemeteries
- Nantucket County, Cemeteries
- Nantucket, Cemeteries, Cemetery Inscriptions Database
- Needham, Epitaphs from the old burying ground
- Newburyport, Essex County, Oathill Cemetery
- Norfolk County Massachusetts Cemetery Records
- Norfolk County, Braintree, Elm Street Cemetery
- Norfolk County, Cemeteries
- Norfolk County, Cemeteries
- Norfolk County, Medfield, Vine Cemetery A-C
- Norfolk County, Medfield, Vine Cemetery D-F
- Norfolk County, Medfield, Vine Cemetery G-I
- Norfolk County, Medfield, Vine Cemetery J-L
- Norfolk County, Medfield, Vine Cemetery M-O
- Norfolk County, Medfield, Vine Cemetery P-R
- Norfolk County, Medfield, Vine Cemetery S-U
- Norfolk County, Medfield, Vine Cemetery V-Z
- Norfolk County, Quincy, Sailor’s Home Cemetery photos
- Norfolk County, Quincy, Sailor’s Home Cemetery Transcription
- Norfolk County, Randolph, Oakland Cemetery
- Norfolk, Pondville Cemetery, Burials
- North Andover, The (First) Old Burial Ground, Database
- Northampton, & other towns, Hampshire County, Inscriptions
- Northampton, Lonetown or West Farms Cemetery
- Old Copp’s Hill and Burial grounds
- Palmer, Inscriptions from the two ancient Cemeteries
- Paxton, Burial Ground Inscriptions, to 1849
- Plymouth County Massachusetts Cemetery Records
- Plymouth County, Bridgewater, The Alden or Great Woods Graveyard
- Plymouth County, Brockton, Leach Cemetery
- Plymouth County, Carver, Wenham Cemetery
- Plymouth County, Cemeteries
- Plymouth County, Cemeteries
- Plymouth County, East Bridgewater, Whitman Family Cemetery
- Plymouth County, Marshfield, Winslow Cemetery
- Plymouth County, Plymouth, Chiltonville Congregational Church Cemetery
- Plymouth County, Rochester, Hillside/Pierce Cemetery
- Plymouth County, West Bridgewater, The Alger Grave-yard and Tomb
- Plymouth, Burial Hill, Inscriptions and Epitaphs
- Plymouth, Burial Hill, Epitaphs, from 1657 to 1892
- Plymouth, Cemetery Burial Record Search
- Rowley, Inscriptions from the old Cemetery
- Rowley, Inscriptions from the old Cemetery
- Rutland, Worcester County, Monumental Inscriptions in the old Cemetery
- Salem, Essex County, Cemetery Inscriptions
- Salem, Inscriptions from the burying-grounds
- Salisbury, Gravestone Inscriptions
- Sandisfield, Berkshire County, Gravestone Inscriptions
- Sandwich, Cedarville Cemetery, List of Markers
- Sandwich, Old Town Burying Ground, Headstone Listing
- Sandwich, Records of old burying ground
- Saugus Centre, Inscriptions from the old burying ground
- Sharon, Sharon Memorial Park, Burial Search
- Sheffield, Cemetery Inscriptions
- Southborough, Cemetery Records and Burials
- Stoneham, Middlesex County, Old Cemetery
- Sudbury, Inscriptions from the old Cemetery
- Suffolk County Massachusetts Cemetery Records
- Suffolk County, Boston, Copp’s Hill Burial Ground
- Suffolk County, Cemeteries
- Suffolk County, Cemeteries
- Suffolk County, Rochester, Roxbury Burial Ground – Dudley Crypt
- Swansea, Historic Cemeteries
- Taunton, Bristol County, Inscriptions
- Taunton, Walker-Blake Graveyard, Burial List
- Tewksbury, St. Mary Cemetery, Burial Listings
- Truro, Barnstable County, Old North Cemetery
- Truro, Old North Cemetery, Inscriptions from Gravestones from 1713 to 1840
- Tyringham, Village Cemetery
- Waltham, Cemeteries, Online Record Search
- Waltham, Middlesex County, Grave-Yard Inscriptions to 1720
- Washington, Cemetery Inscriptions and Congregational Church Records, 1774-1900
- Watertown, Catholic Mount Auburn Cemetery, Sand Banks Cemetery and Cottage Street Cemetery, Burials
- Watertown, Cemeteries, Burial Listings
- Watertown, Epitaphs from the old burying ground
- Watertown, Middlesex County, Old Cemetery Epitaphs [with notes]
- Watertown, Veterans’ Graves Registration
- Wellesley, Epitaphs from Graveyards in North Natick and Saint Mary’s Churchyard
- Wellfleet, Truro, & Cape Cod Cemetery Inscriptions
- Wenham, Inscriptions from Gravestones in the old burying ground
- West Roxbury, Suffolk County, Burial Ground
- Westfield, Hampden County, Tombstone Inscriptions of the older Cemeteries
- Westford, Burial Permits, 1903-1910
- Woburn, Middlesex County, Old Burying Ground
- Worcester County Massachusetts Cemetery Records
- Worcester County Memorial Park, Burials
- Worcester County, Cemeteries
- Worcester County, Cemeteries
- Worcester County, Harvard, Harvard cemeteries
- Worcester County, Lancaster, Epitaphs – The Middle Cemetery
- Worcester County, Lancaster, The Old Burial Field
- Worcester County, Millbury, County Bridge Cemetery
- Worcester County, Shrewsbury, Mountain View
- Worcester County, Sterling, Chocksett Cemetery
- Worcester County, Sutton, St Pauls Cemetery
- Worcester County, Sutton, The Armsby Cemetery
- Worcester County, Upton, Upton First Cemetery
- Worcester County, Whitinsville, Lackey Cemetery
- Worcester, Inscriptions from the old Burial grounds from 1727 to 1859
- Yarmouth, Ancient Cemetery and the Woodside Cemetery, Gravestone Records
- Yarmouth, Barnstable County, Ancient & Woodside Cemeteries
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
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