This week’s #FridayFind is… a cemetery plot?

Written By Dmitri Schmidt

Searching for a headstone is perhaps the most stereotypical activity for a genealogist to engage in, and for good reason! As they say, one man’s death is a treasure trove of information for a genealogist. Here at Backlog, we’ve talked plenty about death certificates and obituaries, but those aren’t the only documents surrounding a death.

By tracking down which cemetery your ancestor was buried in, you might gain access to all sorts of records, from plot maps to burial registers. Take the register above, for example. By tracking down the grave of James Black (the owner of the lot), you could discover information on a dozen family relations.

What have you discovered by researching an ancestor’s grave? Share your story and send it to emma@backllog-archivists.com

Dmitri Schmidt

Dmitri plays a pivotal role in coordinating Backlog’s outreach efforts. They curate our weekly #FridayFinds and #ArchivalTips social media posts, shedding light on items discovered in our genealogy work and providing tips and tricks to approaching problems in the archives.

Dmitri holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and German Studies from Saint Louis University. During their university years, they dedicated over 1000 hours to interning and volunteering at local St. Louis institutions, including the St. Louis Science Center and the St. Louis University Museum of Art. As the Collections Intern at the Science Center, Dmitri assisted in developing and installing the "Into the Vault" exhibit.

Before joining Backlog, Dmitri served as a Fulbright Grantee, teaching English as a second language in former East Germany. From guiding 11th graders in analyzing pop albums as poetry to discussing the significance of the civil rights movement with 8th graders, they covered a broad spectrum of subjects. While reveling in connecting with students and injecting fun into grammar lessons, Dmitri's deep passion for all things archival eventually drew them back home.

Today, Dmitri works as a Herbarium Assistant at the Missouri Botanical Garden, helping digitize the millions of preserved plant specimens. After being scanned and transcribed, these images aid scholars around the globe in furthering botanical research. Dmitri also serves as the archivist for the Kirkwood Historical Society. They are currently overseeing the “Journeys into Kirkwood’s History” project, which aims to digitize documents related to Kirkwood’s early Black settlements.

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