What is the oddest thing that has happened to while cemetery hunting?

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Permalink Reply by Donna Kay Railsback Braly on July 14, 2009 at 1:30pm

At the edge of the cornfield in Norton County, KS, then belonging to my Civil War ancestor, William H. Railsback, is a tiny fenced off area, no tombstones showing, no sign.
Here he buried his first wife and two sons. They have pins and needles burrs and just walking a few feet I was covered in them. Ouch!
When I stepped in the cemetery, there were lots of snake or mouse holes. The ground moved and I left. I didn't want to get that close to my ancestors.
Hubby said he'd go back with me and help me figure out if there were tombstones sometime.

Permalink Reply by Brenda K Lyle on July 14, 2009 at 4:46pm

I'm planning to go back out to the Mt. Tabor Cemetery soon. Most of the time I'm busy babysitting my granddaughter. I've thought a lot about going back out there and just sit there quietly about the same time of day I went last time (about 5 p.m.), and see if anything happens. This probably sounds weird but I like the peace and quiet in a cemetery. I was lucky in finding a copy of the history of the Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church in Middlebrook and a listing of burials, from 1839-1989. I scanned a lot of the pages and pictures of the church and cemetery and I'm adding them to my Ancestry page.

Permalink Reply by Poppy Gladstone on August 4, 2009 at 12:02am

I think you are in the right crowd. At least, I certainly feel as you do about the peace and quiet. Maybe it is just there is no one to talk back.

Permalink Reply by Pam H on July 15, 2009 at 8:10pm

In Ireland my daughter and I were visiting cemeteries where our ancestors were buried. We entered the first cemetery and the weather was wild, dark clouds, whipping wind, and a light drizzle...very melancholy. The next day as we were searching for a grave of an Aunt Kate in another cemetery the sky was very dark and suddenly lightning struck nearby, but out of sight, closely followed by thunder. We returned to our car which was parked nearby until the thundershower passed over. After returning we did find her grave but we are still trying to figure out exactly how she is related to us.....no maiden name in her obituary.

The weather improved when we were searching cemeteries with an Irish cousin.....I guess "American Descendants" weren't welcome unless accompanied by the natives......

Permalink Reply by Marie Edwards on July 15, 2009 at 11:18pm

I met a friend online that happened to be indexing a cemetery in Arizona that I had family at. Well, I had asked him to find my ancestors grave. He thought he had found it, unmarked grave. Well after having spoken with a family member, she had informed me that our gr-uncle had placed a small boulder on her our gr-grandmothers grave and what he had written on it. This had to be placed there about 85 years ago. So I had mentioned this to my friend, he went back to the cemetery to the grave he thought and found her grave next to the one he thought bcuz he found the boulder over grown by cactus! He said when he flipped that boulder over and saw what was written, he got chills! By finding her grave it helped with the indexing of that row in the cemetery! I have since visited there and placed a headstone on her grave with my new friends help. It was an awesome experience! Especially seeing that boulder still there after all this time!

Permalink Reply by Debbie Levine on July 16, 2009 at 6:19pm

The only supernatural thing that happened to me in a cemetery, was when I and my mother was in Bangor, Maine. We went to the cemetery where my grandparents are buried, especially my grandmother's. We were there for the unveiling of her stone. After reading the Lord's Prayer over her grave, I silently told her I was pregnant with her first great-grandchild. All of a sudden, I could feel her next to me, then my grandfather. I felt so loved and content, just standing there. Everything else was not real to me. Not until my mother got me to the car, did I was back in the real world. She told me that others were talking to me but I wasn't answering them back. She said I looked like I was frozen. Later I told her what happened but she didn't believe me. See, my grandmother told me the last time I saw her, that she wanted great-grandchildren. But I know it's true and she is up there watching over them.

Permalink Reply by Jessica on July 20, 2009 at 1:17pm

Hello,
I have had a sort of paranormal experience. I have no other explanation. I was at this large cemetery, in the mausoleum area (outside). I was looking at some names on the niches and heard a very distinct HELLO. I got worried because I thought it was someone who was wondering what was I doing there with pen and paper. Well, I turned around and there was nobody. Besides me, there was only my mom who was in an other area. It was deserted. So to this day I have no idea who it might have been. I looked around to see if maybe there were people around and it carried. No. Plus it was right behind me. As if someone was behind me and said Hello. I just walked to another spot of the cemetery.
Jessica

Permalink Reply by Debbra Walker on July 21, 2009 at 5:40pm

I did not believe in supernatural experiences but I had one.

I had searched for my father's family for almost 33 years. I was taken from them after my father's death in 1972 when I was a child. When I finally was able to tract down a first cousin I was crushed, and I mean seriously depressed, to learn all the Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents I remembered were deceased.

I learned that I had a grandmother, 2 aunts, 1 uncle and a first cousin buried at the same cemetery only 60 miles away. I decided to have my own memorial service for them there. I got out of the car at the cemetery and I suddenly felt them all surrounding me as clear as I felt myself. It was a profound feeling of love and protection. I felt them all there, together and holding me close. The tears came and this time they were healing tears not tears of anger and depression.

The cemetery office personal were rude and not helpful at all. I gave them complete names including maiden, birth and death dates of all. After a very long wait they told me only one aunt was buried there. I knew this was not true. I felt them there. I searched all afternoon and found them all.

Remembering this now brings tears to my eyes. It was the most profound spiritual experience of my life and I was 51 at the time.

Permalink Reply by Rachel on July 22, 2009 at 6:45pm

A couple of years ago I found out where my 3rd greatgrandparents were buried. It is a small family plot on the old homestead. I never knew it was there until someone told me and I went to our county courthouse and found out where it was. It is out in the country and nothing but brush, trees, and bushes and so overgrown. While my husband and I were there looking around, I noticed the swarm of mosquitos flying around. I thought great and I don't have any mosquito repellant. They eat me alive and leave awful itchy whelps on me. But as I got nearer to the graves and tombstones of my 3rd greatgrandparents, I noticed the mosquitos didn't bother me at all. Not one bite! I will always believe my greats protected me from these awful bugs. And we were there for quite some time, pulling weeds and straightening it up a bit.

Permalink Reply by Carolynne Park on July 23, 2009 at 6:57am

I had a flock of chickens experience as well, but unfortunately they were all in a pile - dead! And even worse, they were tossed in the area where I was expecting to finally find the grave of my great-grandmother, which I've been hunting for over 10 years.
The cemetery was Grove St Hebrew Cemetery in Newark, NJ and the dead chickens were sacrifices used in Palo Malumbo ceremonies. I learned that this is a huge problem in the Newark/New York City area due to the large Haitian/Cuban/Latino communities. These &%^$@# creeps have even been convicted of stealing corpses to use in their caldrons they worship. Supposedly they "ask" the departed soul if they want to be a part of this before they use the remains by pouring liqour on the grave and listening for a certain "gurgle" from the corpse.
I can pretty much guarentee that my little Jewish great grandmother did not agree to participate in such a thing! This incident occurred this past March. I guess you can tell that I'm still very, very upset by it. However, on a brighter note, John, the Essex County gatekeeper for Find A Grave, was so very kind. He went to the cemetery himself about a week later, and saw that the carcasses were still there. He offered to go back again to look at a later time. What a guy! What a strong stomach!

Permalink Reply by Carolynne Park on July 23, 2009 at 6:59am

I had a flock of chickens experience as well, but unfortunately they were all in a pile - dead! And even worse, they were tossed in the area where I was expecting to finally find the grave of my great-grandmother, which I've been hunting for over 10 years.
The cemetery was Grove St Hebrew Cemetery in Newark, NJ and the dead chickens were sacrifices used in Palo Malumbo ceremonies. I learned that this is a huge problem in the Newark/New York City area due to the large Haitian/Cuban/Latino communities. These &%^$@# creeps have even been convicted of stealing corpses to use in their caldrons they worship. Supposedly they "ask" the departed soul if they want to be a part of this before they use the remains by pouring liqour on the grave and listening for a certain "gurgle" from the corpse.
I can pretty much guarentee that my little Jewish great grandmother did not agree to participate in such a thing! This incident occurred this past March. I guess you can tell that I'm still very, very upset by it. However, on a brighter note, John, the Essex County gatekeeper for Find A Grave, was so very kind. He went to the cemetery himself about a week later, and saw that the carcasses were still there. He offered to go back again to look at a later time. What a guy! What a strong stomach!

Permalink Reply by Sharyn Masters Graham on July 23, 2009 at 1:17pm

I was in a rather rural area in a large cemetery, when a large dog that looked like Cujo galloped up to me. I made sure a large headstone was between the dog and me. It would start to move away until I moved and would amble back. I was starting to panic, my cell phone was in the car a few hundred feet away and I didn't see any movement at the closest house. Luckily for me the dog lost interest and went away after what seemed liked a very long time. I vowed to carry my cell phone on my person the next time I went tromping though a cemetery.

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