How To Categorize a Cemetery in US State and County but No City?

Question

I have added a category for the cemetery in which Sarah (Denny) Dunnington is buried in Putnam County, Indiana, Deer Creek Cemetery.  This is a cemetery in the county, with no town or city.  How should it be categorized? By township or just by county?

I categorized it just under Putnam County, but I wasn't sure.

Comments

If the cemetery is not located in a municipality, then you don't add a nearest city but leave it as unincorporated parts of the county. Most counties are also broken up into "townships" which should help.

Answer 1

The way I did mine was by the nearest incorporated city that services the area by post office. Or the name of the "area" if that's applicable. Most of the ones I got were Ohio County, Kentucky, but the nearest cities, were Centertown (the post office that services the area) or Equality (the name of the farming community that was named that at one time).

Answer 2

I had the same question.  Looking at other categories already created, I see various formats.  For the ones I have created without a city, I use this format 

name cemetery, name county, state

example: Category: Athens Cemetery, Simpson County, Mississippi

http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Athens_Cemetery%2C_Simpson_County%2C_Mississippi

Answer 3

I have run into similar issues with some cemeteries I have added. I don't use the name of town unless it lies within that town's boarders. I always use the Township or District in which it sits.

For Example: In my home county of Hancock in West Virginia is the Cemetery known as Locust Hill Cemetery. It serves the community of Chester and the northern area of this county (for the most part). Locals refer to it as "Locust Hill Cemetery in Chester, West Virginia"; however, geographically it is far far from the town itself in the countryside of Hancock County in Grant District. So, when I added it here (and to my own listings) I have it listed as "Locust Hill Cemetery, Grant District, Hancock County, West Virginia".

It is my opinion that placing it in the limits of a town in which it isn't can lead to more confusion generations to come, especially if it services more communities in a county because of its location in the rural area. I personally have had problems in my own family research finding cemeteries because they were listed in locations in which they didn't physically exist.

Also look at it this way. Sometimes, those rural cemeteries were founded way before the town they are listed in was ever thought of or founded; used by the farmer of that township/district mainly until population centers popped up in the neighboring areas of the county who then continued to use it for their needs. Another reason to keep it listed in Township/District if not in current town limits.

I hope this helps.

Comments

Sorry, I wasn't logged in when I posted that answer. My name is Jackson Wilson.

I also wanted to add that just leaving it as the "Cemetery, County, State", leaves too broad of a margin for anyone trying to locate the place. If you imagine how large counties can be, including the Township or District can make the search much easier, and categorization more structured.

~ Jack.

---

In some states, such as Colorado, there are no "secondary civil subdivisions, such as townships" [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Colorado#Local_government]. If the cemetery lies outside the nearest municipality boundaries, then you're pretty much limited to "cemetery name, county, state", It is easy to check boundaries of the civil divisions with this tool [http://www.usboundary.com/] Then a possible problem is how to differentiate between two or more identical cemetery names within the county.

Answer 4

Unfortunately, some of our cemeteries have been lost and the only records are via local cemetery/historical society records which indicate the county and not the "township" or exact location as it was on a family farm, etc...  If after research, you can not locate a specific location within the county, it is acceptable to add the cemetery with the county location...