A free worksheet for family history research

Cemetery research log you can fill in and print.

Keep a reading close to the record it came from. Note the cemetery, a plot reference, the words you can read and what you still need to check.

Up to 20 records · Your own wording · Text download · Blank or filled browser printing · No account

Getting the worksheet ready…

Your records stay in this page’s memory. They are not uploaded or autosaved: refreshing or closing clears them. Download text or print before leaving. Keep what a marker says separate from your interpretation.

Keep a record of one marker or source

Start with one record and add up to twenty. An in-person visit, a photograph and a cemetery register can each be a separate record. Every field is optional.

Log title (optional)Choose a record

Record 1

Name or record label

Copy a name as shown, or use your own reference for an unidentified marker.

Cemetery name

Keep the name used by the cemetery or the record you consulted.

Town, county and state or other location

Record enough detail to distinguish cemeteries with the same name. No location is collected automatically.

Section, row, lot or grave reference

Copy the cemetery’s reference or describe where you observed the marker. Keep an estimate labeled.

Visit or record access date

Use your own wording for an in-person visit, an online image or a record you read.

Inscription as read

Keep spelling and line breaks. Mark a missing or unreadable part, such as [unclear], rather than filling it from a guess.

Observations and nearby markers

Describe what you saw separately from the inscription. Nearby names alone do not establish a family relationship.

Photo or image references

Filenames, image numbers and where your copies are kept. This page does not upload photographs.

Source and uncertainty

A record title, URL, page or image reference; who supplied a reading; a conflicting date or detail still to check.

Next question or record to check

A cemetery register to request, another image to compare or a family story to ask about.

Cemetery research log

Record a reading, its source and the questions still open. A marker or memorial alone does not confirm every detail.

Made with MemoirWell · memoirwell.com/tools/cemetery-research-log

Record 1

Name or record label

Cemetery name

Town, county and state or other location

Section, row, lot or grave reference

Visit or record access date

Inscription as read

Observations and nearby markers

Photo or image references

Source and uncertainty

Next question or record to check

Make one useful record of a cemetery visit or source

Start with a marker you observed, a photograph you already have permission to use or a cemetery register you consulted. Copy an inscription as you read it, including its spelling and line breaks. Write “[unclear]” where you cannot read a part. Put a possible reading or a conflicting date in the source and uncertainty field instead of silently changing the transcription.

The Chicora Foundation’s recording guidance describes consistent records for cemetery locations, individual markers and family plots. This original MemoirWell worksheet keeps a transcription separate from observations and later research questions. It is a personal research aid, not a complete preservation survey.

A fictional example

Name or label: Jo Zebulon. Inscription as read: JO ZEBULON / 18[unclear]–1942. Photo reference: Box B / IMG_0042.jpg. Observation: Another Zebulon marker stands beside it; the relationship is not established. Source and uncertainty: My photograph, visited November 3, 2026; a register transcript gives 1881, but I have not checked the original. Next question: Compare the cemetery register with the photograph.

Observe without changing the marker

Check visiting hours, access and photography rules before a visit. Leave a hard-to-read detail uncertain rather than altering the stone. The National Park Service explains why shaving cream can damage stone when used to reveal inscriptions. This worksheet gives you a place to record an observation, not instructions for cleaning or restoring a marker.

Before you save your research notes

Is this a free printable cemetery worksheet?

Yes. Start with one record and add up to twenty. An entirely empty log prints one handwriting worksheet with lines. Filled printing and the text download include records with any written field, including an unnamed record that contains only a source. Untouched records are skipped.

Does it find graves or read headstone photographs?

No. You enter every detail yourself. It does not search cemetery databases, upload photographs, read inscriptions from images, collect your location or confirm family relationships. Copy photo filenames and source references into the fields yourself.

Where are the records saved?

Only in this page’s memory. They are not uploaded or autosaved; refreshing or closing clears them. Download text or print before leaving. A saved TXT or PDF cannot be reopened as an editable log here. Include only details you want in your saved copy.

How do I print or save a PDF?

Choose Review my log, then Print or save PDF to open your browser’s print dialog. Browser-menu printing works from the editor too. Select Letter or A4 and check the preview. Each written record starts on a new page; long fields may continue onto another page.

What do you remember about this person?

Save your research log first. MemoirWell’s separate guided interview can help you develop your own memory into an AI-assisted draft chapter to check and edit. These research notes are not transferred automatically.

Start a free first chapter

Download or print your log before leaving this page.