Technology, historic records used to locate graves in city cemeteries
Modern technology and historical records help staff keep track of graves in two Walker County cemeteries.
An individual, concerned about a relative’s failing health, appealed to the Chickamauga City Council Jan. 8 for help in regarding family grave plots in the city cemetery.
The family member had been searching for two empty grave plots that had been purchased in 1952. Due in part to the deed description and layout of the map, the individual had mistakenly believed the plots to be marked unknown.
“It is uncommon that we find an unmarked grave, but it can happen and has happened in the past,” Chickamauga City Manager Micheal Haney said. “If we discover an unknown grave lot, then this is usually from a burial that may not have been marked prior to the city’s ownership of the cemetery in 1948.”
“If this happens, the city will try to resolve the issue, most commonly by providing another lot to the lot owner,” Haney said.
The cemetery’s oldest portion dates back to the late 1890s and originally belonged to the First Baptist Church. The cemetery was then turned over to the city in 1948.
A lot purchased after that date was done so individually by attaining a warranty deed that was then kept on file at the Chickamauga City Hall.
“The word ‘unknown’ on the map means that there may be a large rock or rocks in the ground, not necessarily that there is an unknown body in it (the plot),” Haney said.
The city determined that the graves in question were correctly located.
“The cemetery is very emotional for most people who have friends and family there,” Haney said. “Unfortunately, it can be very difficult trying to explain a situation with someone who has a loved one buried in the cemetery, especially if it is recent.”
“I have learned to handle situations dealing with the cemetery with care and compassion and think of how I would want someone to handle a situation if it was me or my family,” Haney said.
LaFayette has encountered similar issues when a family was preparing for the death of an ailing loved one and approached the city, giving city personnel ample time to research the plot and to learn how many plots had been purchased in the past and where their plots were located.
LaFayette’s public cemetery was established in the 1830s.
“I was given the opportunity to do some research,” LaFayette GIS analyst engineer John Kydd. “It required both going through it digitally and manually (historic records on paper) just because of the age of some of the documents.”
The city brings in experts with GPR, ground penetrating radar, which has been used in the past to locate Civil War burial plots for the soldiers, Kydd said.
Plots in the older sections of the cemetery are no longer being sold, and all of the plots in the new section have been sold, necessitating an expansion. The land has been cleared, and the roads have been cut for the expansion.
“About 50 plots out of the approximately 900 in the proposed addition have already been strung, Kydd said. After the Public Works Department approves the layout, the city will begin selling the new plots.
For any questions regarding the Chickamauga’s public cemetery, contact city hall at 706-375-3177.
For any question regarding the LaFayette’s public cemetery, contact John Kydd at 706-639-1520.