Halloween is coming up in a few days, and there will be millions of tombstone decorations greeting eager trick-or-treaters …

For genealogists, cemetery records aren’t that spooky – they are actually quite useful! The Family History Guide has some great resources to help you find and use cemetery records in your research. Here’s a summary of what you can find on the website, arranged by location.

United States / General

Goal B6 in the United States page:

• Choice A: A Guided Learning video takes you through the concepts of cemetery research, with an interactive AI avatar, tasks to complete, and questions to answer.
• Three brief Ancestry Academy videos introduce you to cemetery records.
• Two Ancestral Findings articles provide tips on working with unknown burial locations.
• AccessGenealogy.com has a link that helps you locate cemetery records by state.
• The Record Search Practice exercise gives you a research problem to solve using cemetery records.
• Several QUIKLinks to record collections are available to explore.
• Choice B: Videos and articles explain how to interpret tombstone carvings and symbols.
• Choice C: Learn how to explore the Find A Grave and BillionGraves sites for cemetery records.
• Choice D: Find tips for planning your nex visit to a cemetery.
• Get tips from Amy Johnson Crow and others on taking effective photos at cemeteries.

U.S. States

In any United States page, click a state name (below the Statue of Liberty picture) and go to Goal 4, Choice B. Here’s an example from California:

• Choice B: FamilySearch gives an intro to California cemetery records.
• Access links to a wide variety of California cemetery records on various sites.
• Explore QUIKLinks to record collections from FamilySearch and MyHeritage.

International Countries

Most countries listed on the All Countries page have Goals for church and cemetery records. Here’s an example for England, Goal 6:

• Choice B: Articles from FamilySearch and other sites introduce you to cemetery research in England.
• The Record Search Practice exercise gives you a research problem to solve using cemetery records.
• Several QUIKLinks to record collections are available to explore.

Other Records

There are several other types of records that are closely related to cemetery records. Below are the Goals to check out in the United States page; other countries may have similar Goals.

• Choice A: Death records
• Choice D: Death record alternatives
• Choice E: Obituaries
• Choice F: Funeral home and coroner’s records