A Better Cemetery Records Database

The one "thing" that makes Interment.net different than other cemetery records databases is that we've allowed multiple persons to submit transcriptions for the same cemetery.

Even though, in theory, two transcriptions of the same cemetery should have the same set of records, it's rare that they do. The reality is that each person has his/her own way of doing things, and they have their own belief systems in what a transcription means. One person may believe it should contain records of every burial possible, going so far as to reference sexton records, older transcriptions, and newspaper obituaries. Meanwhile, another person may prefer to just transcribe all visible tombstones.

Interment.net chooses to respect each transcription as a stand-alone document that must be preserved.

One of the glaring problems we've found with our competitors is that is that they've chosen to destroy the concept of a transcription by merging multiples together, eliminating duplicate records, and thereby removing all details of who, how, why, where, and when associated with each transcription.

We know that "tried and true" genealogical research methods requires preserving the sanctity of each transcription. Experienced genealogists demand to know the specific details of how a transcription was compiled, who compiled it, when it was compiled, and from what sources it came from.

That's what Interment.net seeks to preserve.

Transcription-Focused Architecture

While visitors using Interment.net can still search records by a person's name, it's the transcription that lies at the foundation of our database architecture.

When you browse a cemetery on Interment.net, you will see one or more transcriptions. In some cases, you may see twenty or thirty different transcriptions, for the same cemetery, each from different people. In many cases, the same person can publish two or more transcriptions for the same cemetery, which may be useful for purposes of separating out old and new sections of a cemetery, or for digitizing numerous historical documents.

Problems Solved Using Transcription-Focused Architecture

Probably the biggest problem facing competitor cemetery records databases are fights over ownership of a single record. Two people arguing over the details of a common-ancestor causes management problems for website admins. And when a record owner no longer responds to requests, everyone else suffers.

A transcription-focused architecture allows someone to submit their own transcription, even if someone else has already submitted a transcription for that same cemetery. No one has to wait for a record-owner to respond, and no one has to argue what grandma's middle initial stands for.

But an often-overlooked benefit of this architecture is that a cemetery's history over the decades and centuries is much better preserved when multiple transcriptions can be published. We can digitize old transcriptions from 100+ years ago and keep them separated from newer transcriptions, allowing us to read the specific details of what a transcriber saw many generations ago.

Submit Your Transcription

Preserve your efforts for future generations! Your transcription will live on forever, along with your name and all the details of how you compiled the records, your written history of the cemetery, and your examination of the cemetery grounds.

To submit a transcription, read "How to Submit Your Transcription".

Interment.net has been online since 1997.