Cemetery Registry in the United States

In this episode of Genealogy TV, Connie Knox welcomes Doyle Glaze, creator of CemeteryRegistry.us, for an in-depth tour of a powerful and underused resource for genealogists. Unlike burial databases that focus on individuals, CemeteryRegistry.us is designed to help researchers accurately locate cemeteries themselves—especially forgotten, renamed, rural, or family cemeteries that can be difficult to find.

Doyle explains how the site works, what “verified” versus “unverified” cemetery locations mean, and how GPS coordinates are used to guide researchers directly to cemetery locations, even when no formal address exists. The site also links out to resources such as Find a Grave, cemetery websites, plat maps, and burial lists when available, making it an excellent companion tool for on-site research and trip planning.

This conversation also covers cemetery access laws by state, contributing cemetery information from your mobile phone, and how genealogists can help expand the database by sharing verified locations and photos. If you’ve ever struggled to find a cemetery on private land, deep in the woods, or lost to time, this episode is for you.