Lost Relative

POSSIBILITIES OF NOT FINDING A GRAVE

If you are unable to locate a grave at Johnson Station Cemetery (JSC), consider the following possibilities:

• • • The individual was buried at JSC, but cemetery records were not updated.
      This cemetery has undergone multiple record-keeping changes over the years, and some burials may not have been properly documented. 

    • This is the first electronic database, and information is still being updated.
      Volunteers continue to locate undocumented graves, cross-check records, and verify information. If a grave is missing from the database, it may yet be discovered.

    • The individual’s name may have changed due to marriage or other reasons.
      Women may be listed under their maiden name, first married name, or a later married name. If searching for a female relative, consider all possible last names she may have used at the time of burial.

    • Some female tombstones have been replaced with one bearing their maiden name.
      In some cases, family members have chosen to replace an original headstone with one listing only the maiden name, omitting the married name.

    • Birth and death dates on tombstones may not match official records.
      Tombstones often reflect the dates known or preferred by family members at the time, but birth and death certificates hold the most accurate information.

    • The tombstone may have been lost or damaged over time.
      Weather, vandalism, and natural decay have contributed to the loss of many older tombstones. Some graves known to exist in early records no longer have a visible marker.

    • Burials may have occurred without a headstone.
      Not all families could afford a marker, and some wooden or temporary markers deteriorated over time, leaving the grave unmarked.

    • The grave may be in an unmarked or previously unknown section of the cemetery.
      Some sections of JSC have been historically under-documented, and additional graves may still be identified as research continues.

      If you cannot find a grave, please reach out to the cemetery staff or volunteers for assistance. New information is added regularly, and historical records continue to be reviewed for accuracy. (Contact us)