United States Cemetery Records

United States cemetery records consist of cemetery transcriptions, databases, and image repositories. A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term cemetery (from Greek: sleeping place) implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are the place where the final ceremonies of death are observed. These ceremonies or rites differ according to cultural practice and religious belief.

While uncommon today, family (or private) cemeteries were a matter of practicality during the settlement of America. If a municipal or religious cemetery had not been established, settlers would seek out a small plot of land, often in wooded areas bordering their fields, to begin a family plot. Sometimes, several families would arrange to bury their dead together. While some of these sites later grew into true cemeteries, many were forgotten after a family moved away or died out. Today, it is not unheard of to discover groupings of tombstones, ranging from a few to a dozen or more, on undeveloped land.

Cemetery tombstones, or sexton’s records, may give birth and death dates, age at death, name of spouse, names of children, and maiden names. Less often, they contain birth places. Tombstones may have symbols or insignia’s indicating military service and social or religious affiliations. Also, family members may be buried in the same plot or nearby.

United States Cemetery Records

Index to our Cemetery Transcriptions

  • Cemetery Collection
    AccessGenealogy has over 600 cemetery transcriptions from across the United States. The first listings are cemetery transcriptions that we have inserted into databases. They are completely searchable by names. The second listing are individual transcriptions that AccessGenealogy has. Many of our transcriptions were down in the mid 1900’s and contain transcriptions of headstones no longer readable.

Note: The above searches only covers the cemeteries that are transcribed at AccessGenealogy’s website. After conducting your search at AccessGenealogy’s historical cemeteries, National Cemeteries, WPA cemeteries, and our general transcription database, you should advance to our state-by-state listing of all cemetery transcriptions found online through the state links below.

The following are our United States cemetery records listed by state. Browse these listings for particular cemeteries in each state that have interments found online.

Recent Cemetery Records


  • Kent County Rhode Island Cemeteries

    A complete listing of all available online Kent County Rhode Island cemeteries, with links to transcriptions, gravestone photos, official records, etc.

  • Providence County Rhode Island Cemeteries

    A complete listing of all available online Providence County Rhode Island cemeteries, with links to transcriptions, gravestone photos, official records, etc.

  • Newport County Rhode Island Cemeteries

    A complete listing of all available online Newport County Rhode Island cemeteries, with links to transcriptions, gravestone photos, official records, etc.

  • Bristol County Rhode Island Cemeteries

    A complete listing of all available online Bristol County Rhode Island cemeteries, with links to transcriptions, gravestone photos, official records, etc.

  • Washington County Rhode Island Cemeteries

    A complete listing of all available online Washington County Rhode Island cemeteries, with links to transcriptions, gravestone photos, official records, etc.

  • Albany County New York Cemeteries

    Albany County New York Cemeteries

    A complete listing of all available online Albany County New York cemeteries, with links to multiple cemetery transcriptions, gravestone photos, tombstone photos, official records, etc.

  • Parmer County Texas Cemeteries

    Below is a complete listing of all available online Parmer County Texas cemeteries, with links to multiple cemetery transcriptions, gravestone photos, tombstone photos, official records, etc. Most of these are complete indices at the time of transcription, however, in some cases we list the listing when it is only a partial listing. The following Cemeteries are hosted at Cemeteries of TX Project Hosted at Morgan – Gray Family Genealogy Hosted at Parmer County Texas Gravestones Photo Project (Up to 50 photos per page) Search: Texas, Find A Grave Index

  • Wintergreen Cemetery, Port Gibson, Mississippi

    Wintergreen Cemetery, Port Gibson, Mississippi

    This survey of Wintergreen Cemetery, Port Gibson, Mississippi, was completed in 1956 by Mr. Gordon M. Wells and published by Joyce Bridges the same year. It contains the cemetery readings Mr. Wells was able to obtain at that date. It is highly likely that not all of the gravestones had survived up to that point, and it is even more likely that a large portion of interred individuals never had a gravestone.

  • Vital records of Rowley Massachusetts

    Vital records of Rowley Massachusetts

    The following records of births, marriages and deaths include all entries to be found in the books of record kept by the town clerks; in the church records; in the returns made to the Essex County Quarterly Court; in the cemetery inscriptions; and in the private records found in family Bibles, etc. These records are printed in a condensed form in which every essential particular has been preserved. All duplication of the town clerks’ record has been eliminated, but differences in entry and other explanatory matter appear in brackets. Parentheses are used when they occur in the original record; also…

  • Early Records of Lee County, Virginia

    Early Records of Lee County, Virginia

    This manuscript is a compilation of various early records of Lee County, Virginia. It is suggested that you use the index liberally for your searches which starts on page 152. Surnames will appear under a variety of spellings so be sure to check them all.