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Cemeteries in Delaware: Source List

DGS Research / By /

Cemeteries in Delaware: Source List

The map and database of cemeteries in Delaware were compiled from many sources, including previous DGS publications, transcriptions and publications by other genealogical societies in the State, past published surveys, and Find a Grave. A list of published sources is shown below.

Barry, Regina. “Mount Olive Cemetery – Wilmington, Delaware; Relocated Historic African American Cemeteries.” http://www.mtolivecemeterymaufcmpde.com/INDEX.html

  • Regina Barry’s website documents the locations of older African American cemeteries in Wilmington, including many burial records.

Dill, Raymond Walter, Willam Martin Dill, and Elizabeth Ann Bostick Dill. Souls in Heaven, Names in Stone: Kent County, Delaware, Cemetery Records. Baltimore: Gateway, 1989. The Delaware Historical Society has a copy of this book.

  • Raymond Dill collected Kent County cemetery records until his death in 1985. William and Elizabeth Dill followed his dream and published his records in 1989. The book runs to nearly 1400 pages, including an index. All of the cemeteries he recorded are included in the DGS cemetery list.

Downstate Delaware Genealogical Society. Tombstones of Sussex County Delaware, 5 vols. Dover, DE: Downstate Delaware Genealogical Society, 2001-2015. No longer available on the DDGS website. Some volumes are available for sale online.

  • The Downstate Delaware Genealogical Society recorded cemetery locations and tombstones from the 1950s to 2020. All cemeteries they identified are included in the DGS cemetery list. Their listings include cross references to both the Hudson and Tatnall cemetery records.

Hudson, Millard F. Cemetery Records of Sussex County, Delaware. On microfilm at the Delaware Public Archives (DPA) (RG 9020-002-002). Viewable as film #8217944 at FamilySearch.

  • Millard Hudson recorded Sussex cemetery tombstones in the late 1920’s. He found over 630 cemeteries in a county of only 938 square miles. His typewritten manuscript runs to 820 pages, including a last name index.

Redden, Robert J. Hudson and Tatnall’s Cemetery Records of Sussex County, Delaware. Lewes, DE: Colonial Roots, 2005. Also available at the Delaware Historical Society.

  • Robert Redden included an Index to his large transcription of the Hudson and Tatnall’s cemetery records. It provides an invaluable cemetery cross reference to the works of Hudson and Tatnall.

Reynolds, Taylor, Chief of Cultural Resources, Delaware State Parks.

  • Taylor Reynolds provided a list of 8 cemeteries in Trap Pond State Park. These are maintained by Trap Pond State Park staff and volunteers.

Tatnall, Walter G. Tombstone Records, New Castle, Kent, and Sussex County, Delaware. On microfilm at (DPA) (RG 9020-002-000). Viewable as film #8619012 at FamilySearch.

  • Walter G. Tatnall (1856-1929) was a Delaware state archivist. In the 1920’s he recorded cemetery records across the state. His typewritten manuscript runs to 1230 pages.

Zebley, Frank, The Churches of Delaware. Wilmington, DE: no publisher, 1947.

  • Frank Zebley’s work is referenced in several FindAGrave listings of church yard cemeteries.

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DGS Research Guide

DGS Research, Uncategorized / By /

Delaware Genealogical Research Guide

Welcome to the online version of the fourth edition of the Delaware Genealogical Research Guide!

This guide offers a road map of how and where to find records about your Delaware ancestors. It is designed to complement other online and print genealogical resources. Many chapters include historical information, provide context, and offer suggestions for additional research.  

To learn more about what the guide offers, listen to the recorded webinar, “The New Delaware Genealogical Research Guide: A Look Between the Covers.”  The full guide, with updated links, is available on this website. Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars, the print edition, released in 2020, is available at Amazon.com.

Delaware Genealogical Research Guide

Table of Contents

Read this first (open to all)
Delaware History (members only)
Geography (members only)
Ethnic Groups (members only)
Immigration and Migration (members only)
Overview of Records in Delaware (open to all)
Vital Records (members only)
Churches and Religious Groups (members only)
Cemetery Records (members only)
Census and Tax Records (members only)
State and County Records (members only)
Military Records (members only)
Record Repositories (members only)
Genealogical Societies (open to all)
Other Sources (members only)

 

© 2022 All Rights Reserved
Delaware Genealogical Society
505 N. Market Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19801-3091

Acknowledgments

When the Delaware Genealogical Society’s Research Guide Committee began its work on this edition in late 2017, it was immediately clear to us that the third edition of this guide, published in 2002 and edited by Thomas P. Doherty, Ph.D., and his committee, would be our foundation. We are grateful for their thorough work. 

As we reviewed and updated each chapter, we sought the assistance of repositories, libraries, societies, and other organizations throughout Delaware. Each was ready and willing to come to our aid, and for that we are thankful. The list of the many people who helped us is too long to share, but we would like to recognize several of those to whom we returned time after time. They are Tom Summers, Randy Goss, and Dawn Mitchell, Delaware Public Archives; Leigh Rifenburg and Ed Richi, Delaware Historical Society; Marie Cunningham and Cathay Keough, Delaware Division of Libraries; Molly Olney-Zide, University of Delaware Library; David Burdash, Hagley Museum, and Library; Rosalyn Green, Regina Barry, and Syl Woolford, Delaware Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society; and R. Hugh Simmons of the Fort Delaware Society. Lastly, we would like to remember Lynn Catanese, former head of the Hagley Museum and Library Manuscripts and Archives Department, whom we thank posthumously. 

We were fortunate to have the support of several individuals who, though not official committee members, contributed content and feedback. They include Rosemary Bell, Patricia Curlett, Lynne Fedele, Gary Gittings, Barbara Hamming, J. Joseph Harland, Ph.D., CG®, Douglas Johnston, Kathleen Hauty, Michael Miscoski, Reese Robinson, and Susan Kirk Ryan. Ellen J. Roberts served as our volunteer copy editor with energy, precision, good cheer, and wit. 

This guide is designed for you, the researcher. We hope that it opens new doors to your genealogical research journey. Good luck!  

The Delaware Genealogical Society Research Guide Committee members for the Fourth Edition: Joan R. Adams, Constance Nelmes Beattie, Marjorie G. McNinch, Robbie Snowdon, and Irene Heffran Monley, editor.

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