A new way to look at where people are buried and why

An article in knox.VillageSoup.com, "The Sociology of Cemeteries," announces a talk by Helen A. Shaw, to be presented February 23. According to Shaw, the presentation has evolved over many years and takes an anthropological look at "why" people are buried where they are, which may provide leads to other information. Maybe a person has been "removed for burial" in their home town, or maybe they were buried in a veteran, fraternal organization, church or ethnic cemetery. "What you know about the cemetery in which family members are buried, can tell you a great deal about them and their social and ethnic background. People are buried in a particular cemetery for a reason. Discovering that reason will lead to a better understanding of your relatives." Ms. Shaw is a professional genealogist specializing in census research and cemetery history. The presentation will be given at 7 p.m. at the Thomaston Public Library in Thomaston, Maine.