For the Genealogist

     In 1990 Historical Data Services began the systematic reading and recording of gravestones in the cemeteries of Washington County, NY. After almost 20 years of dodging rainstorms and swatting mosquitoes, we completed the job in 2009. The 17th and final township, Town of Granville, NY was finished in September of 2009 and published in December. The Towns previously completed are: Argyle, Cambridge, Dresden, Putnam, Easton, Fort Ann, Fort Edward, Greenwich, Hampton, Hartford, Hebron, Jackson, White Creek, Kingsbury, Salem and Whitehall.

     This 20 year project has brought considerable satisfaction. Our mission was to personally survey every cemetery, including small family burying grounds, rural grave yards, and both public and private cemeteries in Washington County, NY. We created a database from old lists that were available and confirmed or made corrections as needed. We added records for any tombstones that were not included and for the new burials. All known existing cemeteries for these towns were surveyed and each burial entered into the master record. Of course, mistakes can happen when reading old weathered stones, but we have made a conscientious effort to create an accurate and useful record.

     Washington County, New York, is divided into 17 towns (townships), and Historical Data Services has surveyed all of them. We have 15 cemetery records books in print. Two books include two Towns. Each book is indexed and some contain a locator map for cemeteries. You will find GPS reading for easy location for most of the cemeteries. The introduction to each cemetery includes significant facts on history, location and number of graves found. Maps accompany most of the larger cemeteries, and burials in most of these are indicated by plot and/or row to help the researcher determine who is buried in adjacent or nearby plots.

     Birth and death dates are recorded. In the remarks portion of the individual's record, we have indicated any genealogical information found on the tombstones; parents, spouses, maiden names, military service, and sometimes birth place and other bits of information. In rare cases some of the information in the remarks came to us from a descendant or from an old historical document.

     Over the years many stones have become broken, buried or lost. In some of the older cemeteries, many tomb stones are now gone that were in inventories made only 20 years ago. Lack of maintenance, vandalism and weather have destroyed many of these historic markers. The goal of Historical Data Services has been to compile and preserve a complete record, as much as possible, of burials in the 17 towns of Washington County, NY.

     In addition to this summertime project, we have conducted personal researches and have published our findings. We are researchers and have ongoing projects on our own family lines. We do occasionally take research assignments when time permits.

     Our other publications include history and genealogy books for New York, Massachusetts and Missouri. The books in print so far include histories of Chester, Massachusetts and Eugene, Missouri, and genealogies of Moore, Sperbeck, Rush, Spalding and Jenkins families.

     Please take the time to follow a few links at the left and see some of the current offerings.