As any serious genealogist will tell you, a visit to a cemetery can provide a wealth of family history information. But it can be much more than that. Each year as we approach All Souls Day (November 2), the season presents an opportunity to renew and maintain family connections, just by walking through a cemetery.

One of the most touching scenes I’ve encountered was at a small cemetery in Augsburg, Germany. Walking past after dark, I looked through the small gate to see dozens of flickering vigil candles. These were not solar lights but real candles. Someone cared enough to visit there each night and light the votives.

A 20-minute walk through any cemetery will provide you access to family stories. Parents who lived long, full lives. Others who died much too young. Babies, some just one day old. Some who were never born. John and Jane Does, victims of murder. And in many older cemeteries, some of the departed rest with no visible monuments. Their markers were damaged or swallowed up in soft ground or by encroaching woods.

Observe the different monuments. Some are massive obelisks, others plain, square markers. A few are made from unusual materials. Some display incredible artistry. In many German cemeteries you will see monuments with engraved hands pointing to Heaven. Angels, crosses and even anchors are common subject of monument carvings.

Some cemeteries are known more for their infamy, such as Oak Grove Cemetery in Eagle, Wisconsin. We chronicled that story earlier in “A Sad Resting Place for Little Ida.” It is sad to see a cemetery fall into neglect and disrepair. It’s especially angering when a cemetery is targeted by vandals. A few years back, thugs toppled more than 100 monuments at Calvary Cemetery and Old Holy Cross Cemetery in Racine, Wisconsin. My Knights of Columbus council spent several weekends righting the monuments and making extensive repairs. Most of the damage was fixed, but some especially old stones were beyond repair.

Military cemeteries and the graves of soldiers are especially touching. I recall walking row after row of World War I grave markers in Ypres, Belgium, where the famous poem In Flanders Fields was composed in 1915. All of those young lives cut short by “the war to end all wars.” Such sacrifice. World War I cemeteries dot the landscape in Belgium; some in the middle of farm fields.

While our loved ones are gone, they can teach us still. There are great resources available to help you find where your relatives are buried. My favorite online database is the Find A Grave web site. Take a camera along on your next trip to the cemetery and help your fellow genealogists document history.

©2014 The Hanneman Archive

St. Patrick’s Catholic Cemetery, Mauston, Wis.

A cross carved in the crotch of a tree.

The work of vandals at Calvary Cemetery, Racine, Wis.

Knights of Columbus repair vandalism in Racine, Wis.

Knights of Columbus repair vandalism in Racine, Wis.

Cherubs often watch over the graves of little ones.

This angel guards a monument to victims of abortion.

An infant rests here.

My father’s grave at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Cemetery, Sun Prairie, Wis.

Cemetery neglect in Eagle, Wis.

Old iron sign over the entry to Oak Ridge Cemetery, East Troy, Wis.

Many markers show true craftsmanship in carving and lettering.

Civil War veteran’s grave, West Bend, Wis.

One of the prettiest grave decorations, Holy Rosary Cemetery, Sigel, Wis.

Holy Rosary Catholic Cemetery, Sigel, Wis.

An especially beautiful monument at St. James Catholic Cemetery, Vesper, Wis.

Note how the lettering is made from wood.

A strikingly simple monument in Kellner, Wis.

A photo sealed under glass of this young mother.

Another marker with tree motif.

Military marker designating a member of the 32nd “Red Arrow” Division

Lt. Edmund R. Collins of Racine, Wis., died fighting against the Bolsheviki in Archangel, Russia in 1919.

Lightning toppled this heavy monument at Calvary Cemetery in Racine, Wis.

Lightning toppled this heavy monument at Calvary Cemetery in Racine, Wis.

The Gillen Family monument in Racine, Wis.

One of the sturdier monuments at Calvary Cemetery, Racine, Wis.

Graves are often marked with civic or military honors.

One of the many styles of crosses.

An angel at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Portage, Wis.

Murder victim Amber Creek, buried at Holy Family Catholic Cemetery, Caledonia, Wis.

This iron cross is one of the more unusual monuments at Old Holy Cross Cemetery.

A thought-provoking monument.

This crucifix shows some of the carver’s artistry.

Resting place of a murder victim near Racine, Wis.

One of the largest monuments at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Portage, Wis.

Columbarium wall at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

Memorial to a little one.

The grave of the Graves…

The family, all together.

Something we all should wish for.