ABOUT ME

Avid genealogist since the 1980s. Originally from New Jersey. Lived in Upstate New York. Lived overseas for two years where I did hands-on research of my European roots. Currently in Massachusetts.


Ancestry Fun Facts

1st Cousin (11x removed) of Governor William Bradford, Plymouth Colony, Mayflower passenger

My 7th Great Uncle is Daniel Boone

My 13th Great Grand Aunt is Mary Queen of Scots Stuart

3rd cousin of President Abraham Lincoln

3rd cousin of President James Madison

5th cousin of President Woodrow Wilson

5th cousin of 1st Lady Abigail Adams (wife of President John Adams)

6th cousin of President Harry S. Truman

7th cousin of President Thomas Jefferson

7th cousin of 1st Lady Martha Dandridge Washington

7th cousin of Helen Adams Keller

8th cousin of President Gerald R. Ford Jr.

8th cousin of President Warren G. Harding

8th cousin of Dolly Parton

9th cousin of President John F. Kennedy

9th cousin of President George Herbert Walker Bush

9th cousin of President Franklin D. Roosevelt

9th cousin of President Richard Nixon

9th cousin of Ulysses S. Grant

10th cousin of Winston Churchill

11th cousin of 1st Lady Michelle Obama

11th cousin of President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.

11th cousin of President Ronald Wilson Reagan

11th cousin of 1st Lady Mamie Eisenhower

13th cousin of Robert "Bob" Norman Ross (Happy little trees!)

14th cousin of Thomas Cruise Mapother IV aka Tom Cruise

14th cousin of Katie Couric


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MY FAMILY LINES

My maternal grandparents immigrated to the US from Germany in the 1920s, and after arriving at Ellis Island, landed in the boroughs of New York City—mostly Queens and Brooklyn. My parents moved to New Jersey when they married. Since the early 1900s, my extended family has since scattered around the country—to New York, New Jersey, Florida, Colorado, California.

Tracking one's family tree is a never-ending task due to changes, corrections and additions. In my own genealogy quest, I am researching the following family surnames:

Paternal lineage:

Brownworth

Variants of last name:

Braunwarth, Braunwart, Braunworth, Brownsworth, Brownswarth

Gumoski, Wilson, Derle

Maternal lineage:

Sanken, Schlichte, Ehlers, Sunder, Wittner

Husband's surnames: Tom, Tam, Tan, Hau, Shih, Wu, Lee, Wong

If we're related, please feel free to message me and say hello.

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EDITS/CORRECTIONS

I'm pretty thorough before I post, but we all make mistakes. If you believe memorial information I have entered is incorrect, go through the EDIT TAB rather than messages.

Please understand that I check suggested edits for sources, so please provide a research source in the NOTES SECTION to substantiate the change so we can ensure accuracy of the information. Citing a source for any memorial edits will make it more likely that the suggested change gets approved and help edits to be done faster. (Your source should not be a link to ancestry.com, as only paying members can access that site.) If I can't find documentation, I will ask for clarification and a source. Information that can not be verified, if relevant, will be posted in the BIO Section.

The best way to contact a memorial manager is though the memorial itself. It ensures the right volunteer is contacted and they know what memorial you are referring to. If you are commenting through the messaging feature rather than memorial itself, please include the ID number of the memorial at issue.

As for any suggested edits I might send, they are only that—suggestions. Occasionally, contributors get a bit testy about some things, e.g., a period after a middle initial, or reordering a bio to make it chronological. Do whatever pleases you. Accept what you like. Reject what you like. They're only suggestions, often for clarity, not a judgment or criticism of your work here.

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PHOTOGRAPHS

I'm a photographer, so I pride myself on adding clear, sharp, edited photos to a memorial. If I have posted a photo to a memorial, I have personally visited the cemetery and grave myself. If a memorial already has photos, but the last ones added are from 10 years ago when phone cameras weren't as good, I may post new ones. If I can improve on the old photos, I'll upload a few new ones. I'll also post different angles or views to round out the collection, in an effort to supplement what others have added. If you post a better photo than the one on a memorial I manage, I'm happy to take down one of lesser quality.

You are welcome to use my headstone photographs at your discretion for non-commercial use (like your family tree), but please cite me as the source, with my name and ID#. Something like this:

Find A Grave Contributor Susan B ID 51547388

However, do NOT post them to other Find A Grave memorials. Just let me know and I will upload them.

Use for commercial purposes is not allowed under any circumstances. You may use my photos on your own personal website if non-commercial, but photo credit is again appreciated

Please, do NOT copy my photos to ancestry.com without giving me credit. Simply indicate "2023-26 Susan on Find A Grave". I'd appreciate a note letting me know you have copied them.

For personal photos of people, please ask permission before reposting.

PHOTO TIPS

-Bright noon sun directly overhead can cast serious glare on stones, making the words harder to read, so photograph early in the day or later in the afternoon.

-When photographing flat markers, try not to get your feet in the picture.

-Be mindful of your own reflection in shiny granite stones. And that of your car parked behind you, or the cemetery maintenance truck.

-Take a few different angles. I typically take a closeup of the inscription, one of the entire stone, and a wide shot to show the general location in the cemetery so others might find it.

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MEMORIAL TRANSFERS

Should any of the memorials under my care be for members of your family, just let me know if you would like to transfer a memorial. Please state your specific relationship when contacting me with a request—not just that you're related. I'm usually willing to transfer unless it's one of my family members. I am glad to have someone close to the family "take care of them." I will not transfer any of my own family members or friends, but I am happy to make any edits, corrections, or add additional info you may wish to include.

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OBITUARIES

I don't have an issue with obituary information or clippings of obituaries, being posted on my memorials, since they are already in the public domain on websites like legacy.com, and local newspaper sites as long as they are not designated as grave photos. Please choose "other" when posting so it appears at the bottom of the photos.

In the United States, newspaper articles published before 1923 are considered to be in the public domain, meaning they are free from copyright restrictions and can be used without permission.

Between 1923 and 1963:

For obituaries published between 1923 and 1963, copyright status depends on whether the newspaper's copyright was renewed. If the copyright was not renewed, the obituary enters the public domain 28 years after publication.

Facts vs. Creativity:

Copyright law protects creative expression, not facts. So, if an obituary is a simple list of facts, it may not be copyright worthy.

I typically remove funeral home phone numbers and websites, as well as GoFundMe requests listed in an obituary.

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DEATH CERTIFICATES

As for whether obituaries or death certificates are allowed to be added to memorials, the FAG administrators say the following:

"Since the move to Ancestry and the new website, newspaper obituaries, death certificates and other scanned documentation is allowed. We encourage members to move the images down to the bottom of the photo display [my preference: obits #2 category "family" just below a closeup marker photo; death certs. category: "other" lowest priority] so that they are not the first thing you see when viewing a memorial page.

Thank you,

Find a Grave Administration"

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DID YOU KNOW…about the coins?

A coin left on a headstone lets the deceased soldier's family know that somebody stopped by to pay their respect. Leaving a penny means you visited. A nickel means that you and the deceased soldier trained at boot camp together. If you served with the soldier, you leave a dime. A quarter is very significant because it means that you were there when that soldier died.

DID YOU KNOW…about headstones?

Headstones were grave markers placed at the head of the grave—some graves also had a "footstone" marking the other end. Gravestones were flat markers placed over a filled-in grave - these were very large, covering the full size of the grave. Tombstones were the actual lid of a stone coffin. There are other kinds of graves and markers too, such as mausoleums and sarcophagi. A cenotaph is a marker when no body is actually in that burial plot.

The Proper Way to Clean a Headstone

from the International Association of Cemetery Preservationists

It is recommended that only clean, clear natural spring water be used for cleaning historical cemetery structures. Do NOT use harsh chemicals, high pressure washers, or equipment, or abrasive tools of any kind.

Use soft-bristled brushes with natural or plastic bristles. Never use a wire brush or any metal object for cleaning. Automobile detailing brushes are handy for cleaning historic headstones and monuments.

At one time it was suggested to use shaving cream as a cleaning agent on headstones and monuments. This came about when cemetery photography became more popular and inscriptions couldn't be read well. However, high levels of alcohol and menthol in shaving cream have been found to damage the stone. So do NOT use shaving cream to clean headstones.

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RESOURCES I UTILIZE


Legacy.com and newspaper obituaries

FamilySearch.org

MA Vital Statistics

The US Census

US Dept. of Veterans Affairs Nationwide Gravesite Locator

Historical Society's Death and Birth Certificates Index

Genealogy Bank

Family trees and other official documents

MY MOST FREQUENTED CEMETERIES


Evergreen Cemetery, Hopkinton, MA

Saint Luke's Cemetery, Westborough, MA

Pine Grove Cemetery, Westborough, MA

Mount Auburn Cemetery, Hopkinton, MA

St. John's Cemetery, Hopkinton, MA

East Hopkinton Cemetery, Hopkinton, MA

Southborough Rural Cemetery, Southborough, MA

Lakeview Cemetery, Upton, MA

Maplewood Cemetery, Upton, MA

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Thanks to all the FAG volunteers for your hard work! You are the heart of what makes this website such a wonderful genealogical tool.

"Remember me in my family tree; my name, my days, my strife;

and I shall ride upon the wings of time, and live an endless life."

~~ Laura J. Stewart

"Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead, and I will measure with mathematical exactness, the tender mercies of its people, their loyalty to high ideals, and their regard for the laws of the land."

~~Sir William Ewart Gladstone, four-term British Prime Minister

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