A sexton is a caretaker of a cemetery whose role it is to oversee the maintenance and care of the cemetery, including the buildings and grounds. They may also be responsible for digging new graves. Sextons typically do not perform the actual maintenance, but they do ensure that the job gets done.
Sextons are also responsible for keeping diligent records of those buried in the cemetery. These are called sexton’s records, and are kept by both public and private cemeteries. These records can provide valuable information to genealogists.
Information that may be found on sexton’s records includes the name of the deceased person (and possibly a maiden name for women), date of burial, date and cause of death, place of death, former residence, owner of the plot, military affiliation, and more. Information varies between towns.
In order to gain access to these records, you will have to locate the cemetery’s sexton. Sometimes there will be a sign at the entrance of the cemetery that provides information on how to reach the sexton. You may also be able to locate this information in the yellow pages of the local phone book. However, small or rural towns often do not list this information in the phone book, but you can usually find the sexton by asking local residents. Large cemeteries typically, but not always, have an office where sexton’s records are kept. Abandoned cemeteries may not have a sexton, and locating burial records can be challenging. In this case, check with the local library or historical society.
In addition to providing burial information about your ancestors, sextons who have been in the community for a long time may also be able provide you with stories of your ancestors. One sexton I spoke with knew my great-grandmother from their childhood, and had many humorous stories to share with me. He was also able to lead me to distant relatives who are still residing in the community.