Submitted by Virginia Fox, President
The weather is rainy and cool in our neck of the woods right now. Our group is waiting for the fields to dry up a bit so that we can visit a cemetery located just outside of Sifton, Manitoba.
Cemetery Transcriptions
The cemetery we are interested in transcribing is located in a field that the farmer has already seeded. His wife is waiting for a good day so that she can take us out to the site of 40 graves. This lady is providing transportation for us and we will very likely take our lunch as well as items to do the work.
How to clean and transcribe gravestones
It is very important to study carefully what to use when cleaning gravestones and how to bring up the lettering more clearly.
- Never use any harsh chemical cleansers and only soft brushes.
- Wear clothing that will be protective against sunburn as well as insects.
- Short pants are not appropriate, as your legs require protection from the sun as well as scratchy bushes. Some graves are located in bush areas that have grown into graveyards. Ticks and mosquitos are out and ready to do their work on unprotected skin.
- Wear sturdy shoes as well as good useful socks. In our case, we need rubber boots in some places!
- Clipboards and lined 3 ring paper and binders for recording are required.
- Bring more than one pencil with you as well as a sharpener.
- Take a supply of drinking water with you as well as water for helping to clean the stones. Soft cloths are very useful.
- We will need backpacks to carry everything that we need.
- Make sure you have an eraser and ruled pages ready to fill in the existing grave wording on both sides of the stone.
- You will also need some unlined pages to use in bringing up the lettering on the damaged stones so that you can read what they say.
This graveyard is not registered with most others in Manitoba and so we want to be sure to try to find out what the name of the church district that it is in would be.
We hope to visit several other cemeteries in the Sifton area this summer as well as fulfilling an invitation to come to Makinak, Manitoba in order to transcribe 4 cemeteries in that area. We already have records on most of these cemeteries, but we want to make sure that any new graves are added to our files.
Updating Records
Our obituary files are being worked on and completed as well as updated on an ongoing basis.
We are hoping to continue working at the library as much as possible this summer in order to have things recorded properly so that we can be of help when asked for assistance in finding information.
Upcoming Event
A new event in our area is being put together by the LDS missionaries in Dauphin. They have sent out flyers inviting people to come into the family history centre located in Dauphin at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They will help attendees get started in recording their family members on Family Group Sheets as well as pedigree charts. These sheets can be inserted into protective envelopes which will keep the family records from deteriorating as well a from damage.
Have a great summer! Enjoy good fellowship and interesting family stories.