Where can i seek help finding a person's grave?
I have exhausted every common online sources. I have the name of deceased, year, and the state. I Also have a couple photographs that have clues that maybe a person would recognize, where would i post them?
Best Answer
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I know you said you tried every common search site, but here are a couple of the uncommon ones. Have you tried any of the following:
This is experimental but may help.
https://www.deathindexes.com/cemeteries.html#:~:text=Alabama%20%7C%20Alaska%20%7C%20Arizona%20%7C%20Arkansas,%7C%20West%20Virginia%20%7C%20Wisconsin%20%7C%20Wyoming This one has specific state information and some states have a database of where families are buried.
Just a thought. Also if you post your photograph to this site it may catch someone's eye.
Thank you
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Hello @Jerzy423.
Sometimes the burial information is elusive and the best way to go about it is indirectly. Have you tried searching for the person's death record, whether a certificate or notation from the city/county or local office? These often will include the cemetery.
Were you able to locate an obituary? I have found those are the biggest help for burial information.
Census records or city directories could also provide big clues, as where they were last living may be where they died. Pictures are a great help and provide proof that the burial exists, and, if we know the city they died, we can narrow down by the cemeteries in that general area.
If you can share the name, year and state, we may also be able to further assist you.
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@Jerzy423 I have found several instances where a local genealogy/historical group has done a county-wide survey of known cemeteries [including some family plots not otherwise well-known or documented]. You may want to reach out with a 'cold call' to see what they might have or otherwise know of….
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Thank for everyone who has responded, i have posted few of the photos. The info i do have is
Lived in hempstead, ny
Died 1988 was polish and catholic
I have searched the surrounding of every possible cemetery in the NY area surroundings using google maps trying to match the photographs. Seemed like cemetery was next to a industrial hub but being 1988 things have very likely changed. So its been difficult but if anyone can suggest something i have missed or cemeteries that i should check again. Just know that i have looked at every possible catholic cemeteries in the state and cemeteries in and near and far from nassau county.
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If you want to share the name, those of us who are acquainted with NY research may be able to help more.
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Jerzy Jakubowicz 1952-1988
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I see that his profile on FamilySearch G1SZ-KJF seems to trust the Social Security NUMIDENT record that says he was born in Bialystok, Portugal. I'm pretty sure that Bialystok is in Poland, not Portugal. His father is buried in Bialystok, Poland.
It's almost certainly irrelevant, but I found an obituary for that name, but different dates and place on newspapers.com. it says that "his burial will be at a later date in Russia." Interesting that a rather unusual name would be shared by two people not very far apart in age.
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@alan brown
Thanks for taking time to help me out. There is no way he would be buried in russia, i have put all the information i have on earlier comments with images.
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@Jerzy423 I edited my previous post to downgrade that other obituary as a mere curiosity. But you might want to read my suggestion about his birthplace. Sometimes correcting a birthplace can help in further record searches.
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@Alan E. Brown, "Jerzy Jakubovicz" is basically Polish for "George Jacobs", so I dare say it's not at all an unusual name in Poland.
(The name George is quite the chameleon: Djordje, Djuro, Đuro, Georg, Georgios, Georgius, Giorgos, Göran, György, Gyuri, Heorhiy, Jerzy, Jordi, Jorge, Jory, Juraj, Jurek, Jürgen, Jurij, Örjan, Ørjan, Siorus, Xurxo, Yuri …)
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@Jerzy423 Checking the obituary that Alan found, the Jerzy Jakubowicz who died in 1974 had a son, Jerzy Jr, who was an Air Force Sergeant in 1974. Possible connection? Born in 1952, he would have been 22 in 1974, which is plausible for a Sergeant during the Vietnam War era.
If that's the same person, a military record could help greatly in locating more information about him.2 -
@Jerzy423, I'm assuming that you've asked your relatives where the cemetery was, but didn't get the name of it, right? Since you mentioned that he was Catholic, was there a particular church that he attended? Would anyone know its name? If you could contact that church, it's possible that they may have a record, or know a cemetery that was favored by their congregation.
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Not sure if this will help at all, but on Ancestry's Social Security Application and Claims Index, it adds the note that Jerzy Jakubowicz was a 'Legal Alien authorized to work' and his claim type says 'Alien temporarily allowed to work during legalization process'. I also find it interesting that his death date is listed a Jan 1988, but there is a name change (to J Jakubowicz) as of 19 May 1989. Don't know if that will help in any way.
And do you have his death certificate? in 1988 there is always a place on the death certificate for the location of burial or disposition of the body.
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As far as I know, @AnneLoForteWillson, we don't know where the death occurred. If it happened in New York State, there are eligibility requirements and a pretty steep fee, for those who are eligible. Oh, and there is a 2-year backlog.
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@AnneLoForteWillson let me begin by thanking you. Who would make the name change? And i also know that they have his birthplace as białystok, portugal instead of poland. So maybe that name change is another mistake. As to the death certificate, ive looked into obtaining one through vitalcheck but according to the site, location of burial is not in the certificate.
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@alanbrown correction as in my familytree?
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@Jerzy423 Yes, I'm saying that the entry for Jerzy Jakubowicz G1SZ-KJF shows a birthplace in Portugal, when it seems almost certain that he was born in Poland. If that's correct, then it would be good to change his birthplace to be in Poland. Having the correct birth country will improve the likelihood that record hints and other record searches will find relevant records.
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@Jerzy423 To be clear - the Social Security extract on Ancestry does not necessarily indicate a name CHANGE; it simply shows that a record was signed or completed using just the initial, rather than the full given name.
As for Portugal vs Poland place of birth, you edited the profile of G1SZ-KJF to show Poland as the place of birth on 12 Feb 2025. It displays the correct country of birth.0 -
@Jerzy423 I appreciate the clarification from @Áine Ní Donnghaile that you did indeed make the correction to the birthplace that I recommended back on February 12. Your recent follow up question to me seemed to indicate you were still wondering what I meant, and I replied without looking back in Family Tree to see if it has been done. All is well in that regard.
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Good news! I believe I’ve found the cemetery. Thanks to ChatGPT, satellite view, and a lot of name searching through all the cemeteries it suggested, I was finally able to locate him. I created this post not expecting the overwhelming help I received. This community is truly amazing. Thanks to everyone who helped out—you’re all incredible
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