Researchers perhaps find some of the most interesting family information in cemeteries.  In large cities, cemeteries are often surrounded by a fence, serviced by an operating office and telephone during business hours, and have records of some sort.  In rural parts of the state, they are seldom encircled by a fence, rarely have an office or sexton handy, and oftentimes have no accessible source of records for burial.  Private family cemeteries pose more of a problem, and the finding of them generally poses the biggest problem.

The team of Suzanne P. Derieux and Wesley E. Pipppenger have now visited and documented tombstone inscriptions for 35 county church sites in Essex County, Virginia: Angel Visit Baptist Church, Antioch Baptist Church, Antioch Reformed Episcopal Church (Site), Bethlehem Baptist Church, Beulah Baptist Church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Enon Baptist Church, Ephesus Baptist Church, First Baptist Church (Loretto), First Union Baptist Church, Good Hope Baptist Church, Grace Protestant Episcopal (Mission) Church, Hermon Methodist Episcopal Church, Howertons Baptist Church, Lebanon Methodist Episcopal Church, Lloyds Methodist Episcopal Church (Site), Lower Piscataway Church (Site), Macedonia Baptist Church, Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Mt. Salem Chapel, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, New Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Rappahannock Christian Church, St. Andrew's Protestant Episcopal Church (Site), St. John Baptist Church, St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Site), St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Sittenbourne Parish Church (Site), Trinity Baptist Church, Trinity United Methodist Church, Upper Essex Baptist Church, Vauter's Episcopal Church, and Zion Baptist Church.  The team is now working on burials in the Town of Tappahannock and private burial grounds for publication in a future volume!

The team photographed each grave marker, and brushed cleaned many of them.  When the information was illegible, they sought alternate sources to use to identifiy probable burials and or insert additional information.  Significant time was used to find additional information about the deceased, for example: occupation, spouse, maiden name, place of death, and the medical cause of death.  Of course users will know that information found on multiple records may differ and not necessarily agree with that found inscribed on a cemetery marker.

Copies of "Essex County, Virginia Cemeteries, Volume 1: County Church Cemeteries," will be available for purchase after April 15, 2011, from the compiler by mail (address below) or from the Essex County Museum and Historical Society in Tappahannock, Virginia.  The format is large size 8½"x11", paper, Perfect-bound, index, color illustrations, 424+vi pages, $45.00.  Please add $5.00 for postage and handling.  Order from Wesley E. Pippenger, P.O. Box 309, Tappahannock, VA 22560.  Libraries may send a purchase order or may request to be sent an invoice for orders. 
																
Wesley E. Pippenger
Past-President, Virginia Genealogical Society
Secretary, Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown, D.C.
							
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