Cemetery Corner
by Shaun Hobson #5336
Cemetery Committee Chair
Cemetery Committee
The next committee meeting is scheduled for 13 September 2023 at 7:00 pm by GoogleMeet and we welcome new members. Please email cemetery@mbgenealogy.com if you would like to join the committee.
NEW Digital Cemetery Transcripts
If more than one person would like to view the same cemetery transcript at the same time this can be done with the digital transcripts on the MGS computers! Members now have a choice of accessing the paper document in the file cabinet or pulling up the digital file on the computer.
To access the digital transcript, you just need to click on Cemetery Transcript icon and it will take you to a document that lists the cemetery number, name, municipality (both new and old), community, and the number of burials. If the cemetery number is in blue font it means it is linked to a digitized image of the cemetery transcript and you just need to click on that number to pull it up. I have been busy protecting the digitized transcripts so they are only viewable and cannot be downloaded or printed. The cemeteries from ct0001 to ct1000 are ready for viewing and I hope to have the remainder completed by mid-August. Cemeteries that are large and require more than one PDF document to capture all the entries will not be viewable using this method.
If you would like your own copy of the cemetery please email me at cemetery@mbgenealogy.com with the cemetery number and name and I will have our treasurer send you an invoice. Once the invoice is paid a PDF of the transcript will be emailed to you.
Cemetery Transcribers
Cemetery Transcribing is underway. The audit has so far identified 426 cemeteries that need to be re-read and 68 of those were last read more than 10 years ago. If you are interested in learning more about transcribing cemeteries or would like to join our team of Transcribers please email me at cemetery@mbgenealogy.com.
Cemetery Audit
The audit involves checking the cemetery folders in the physical file cabinet at MGS and comparing the information with the digitized records on the MGS network drive and the Cemetery Workspace on Google and ensuring the files match in all three locations. We review the information for each cemetery with local history books, Manitoba vital statistic records obituaries, and online memorial databases to review our records for accuracy and to obtain missing information. We update the files and the transcription documents as needed. We also determine if the cemetery needs to be re-read.
Below is the progress to date.
| Number of Transcribed Cemeteries: | 1,622 | |
| Number of Cemetery Folders:* | 1,377 | |
| Number of Burials Transcribed: | 475,720 | |
| Number of Active Cemeteries: | 395 | |
| Number of Inactive Cemeteries: | 199 | |
| Number of Cemetery Folders Reviewed: | 228 | (16.63% completed) |
| Number of New/Updated Transcript Documents: | 220 | (16.05% completed) |
| Number of Cemetery Folders Synced: | 192 | (14.00% completed) |
* Smaller, inactive cemeteries in a Municipality have been bundled into one document.
We have six volunteers working on this project. The cemetery audit can be done from the comfort of your home or at MGS and new volunteers are welcome. Training will be provided. If you are interested in learning more about auditing cemeteries or would like to join our team of Auditors please email me at cemetery@mbgenealogy.com.
The project includes cross-referencing MGS cemetery details with information found on other websites for: (1) accuracy of the cemetery name, (2) accuracy of the cemetery location, and (3) duplicate cemetery files. We have been able to make corrections to some of our cemetery names and exact locations as a result. I have found six cemeteries that were duplicated, captured twice under different names and one that was captured under the correct name but under two different municipalities. We also have established links to these reference websites which will help make the cemetery audit more efficient.
Manitobans Remembered
These short biographies of notable individuals buried in Manitoba continue to be published in our social media platforms (Website, Facebook and Instagram) every Thursday. If you would like to submit a short bio of an individual buried in a Manitoba cemetery, please submit the bio, with the name of the individual and the cemetery they are buried in, to my attention at cemetery@mbgenealogy.com.
The attached table is a two-month summary of insights that each of the postings obtained in a one-week and a four-week period on both FaceBook and Instagram.
If you have any questions or would like volunteer please send an email to my attention at cemetery@mbgenealogy.com.