WPA Tombstone Index
Submitted by Norm Hellmers

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From time to time, this List has discussed what is
known as the WPA "Tombstone Index. This is an
important resource, and should not be overlooked as a
way to locate an interment record in New Orleans. I
thought it would be useful to share some information
about the index, which I learned from a recent review
of all of these microfilms.

The Louisiana Division of the NOPL describes the index
on this Webpage:
http://nutrias.org/~nopl/guides/genguide/updates.htm
The NOPL says: Microfilm of index cards containing
information from cemetery tombstones in New Orleans
cemeteries, compiled by the WPA in the 1930s from
tombstones existing at the time. (The original index
is housed at the Historical Center of the Louisiana
State Museum, 400 Esplanade Ave.) The cards include
name of deceased, parents, birth and death dates.

It is occasionally suggested that the Tombstone
Index includes only data obtained through an
examination of tombstones in the 1930s by WPA workers.
(The NOPLs description of this card file suggests the
same thing.) However, a review of the cards themselves
for each cemetery shows that the card file was based
on tomb inscriptions, transcriptions of cemetery
records, or a combination of both.

The fact that the index includes interment records, as
well as tomb inscriptions, is clear from the
following:
1. For those cemeteries using a combination of
sources, the cards made only from interment records
generally indicate only the name of the cemetery;
those made from inscriptions show the location of the
tomb, coping, or vault, as well as the name of the
cemetery.
2. Some of the cards only cover a narrow range of
dates, such as the Holt Cemetery (1876-1879). These
obviously came only from records, as the WPA would not
have recorded inscriptions with only those dates.
3. Many of the cards give the cause of death, the
place of the deceaseds birth, some unusual age
notations (such as 1/2 hour), and similar
information, which is rarely given on a tomb
inscription, but is generally given in interment
records.
4. Some of the information could come only from
interment records, such as data for St. Joseph
Cemetery, which includes the burial number from the
chronological daybook. This burial number is not
inscribed on a tomb.
5. The cards make a distinction between the two
kinds of information by including SUP on those made
from records. It has been suggested that this stands
for supplied, meaning it came from a record, and not
from an inscription. An examination of the cards seems
to verify that the data from records include the SUP,
and those from inscriptions do not have the SUP.
(Additional suggestions on the meaning of the SUP.
abbreviation would be welcome.)

As an example, here are the data from two cards that
refer to the same tomb. They are from the card file
for St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery in downtown New
Orleans.

VAGTS ST. VINCENT DE PAUL
John
Died Oct. 8, 1887
age 65 yrs.
(SUP.)

VAGTS ST. VINCENT
Family DE PAUL
CEMETERY #1
ALLEY 2
RIGHT

The first card is from the St. Vincent de Paul
Daybook, which is a chronological listing of
interments recorded in order, day by day. It shows
SUP. which means the data was supplied, or from
the records. This data is not inscribed on the tomb of
John Vagts, where he is buried. The fact that the
interment took place in Cemetery No. 1 is not
indicated, as the daybook did not make that
distinction.

The second card is from a reading of the tomb
inscriptions. The WPA worker transcribed FAMILIE
VAGTS into its English form, Vagts Family. The
location of the tomb is correctly given on the right
hand side of the card, and there is no SUP. There
are no names or dates inscribed on this tomb, not even
that of the original owner, John Vagts.

From this kind of evidence--and more--it is clear that
the WPA Tombstone Index contains data from both tomb
inscriptions and interment records. If a card of
interest is found, and it has the "hallmarks" of being
from records--rather than from an inscription--it can
likely be found in the appropriate cemetery records.

Part 2 of this message lists the cemeteries in the
index with notes on the apparent sources of the
information.


Below is a list of the cemeteries in the WPA
Tombstone Index and notes on each. The microfilm
numbers (GS36 266-308) are those of the NOPL, although
all of these records are also available through any
Family History Center. The cemetery names are given as
listed on the NOPL microfilms, and the list is
organized in the order of the microfilm numbers at the
NOPL.

GS36 266-268 Firemens Cypress Grove #1 Cemetery,
1825-1934
Combines tomb inscriptions and interment records
(indicated with SUP).

GS36 268-273 Girod Street Cemetery, 1817-1930
Combines tomb inscriptions and interment records
(indicated with SUP).

GS36 273-277 Greenwood - Cypress Grove No. 2,
1840-1880
Only from interment records (all indicated with
SUP).

GS36 277 Hebrew Cemetery (at Canal & N. Anthony),
1846-1933
Combines tomb inscriptions and interment records
(indicated with SUP).
Hebrew Cemetery (at Canal & S. Anthony),
1846-1933 (Gates of Prayer #2)
Combines tomb inscriptions and interment records
(indicated with SUP).
Hebrew Cemetery (at Frenchmen & Gentilly),
1866-1880 (Hebrew Rest #2)
Only from interment records (all indicated with
SUP).
Hebrew Cemetery (at Joseph & Garfield),
Gates of Prayer #1, 1856-1930
Combines tomb inscriptions and interment records
(indicated with SUP).
Hebrew Cemetery (at Gentilly & Elysian
Fields) (Hebrew Rest #1)
Note: Dates not given; appears to be 1860s-70s.
Appears to be all supplied from records.
Hebrew Cemetery at Jackson & Saratoga Sts.,
Gates of Mercy
Note: Dates not given; appears to be 1850s into
1900s. Primarily inscriptions, with some data supplied
from records.

GS36 278 Holt Cemetery, 1876-1879
Only from interment records (all indicated with
SUP).

GS36 279-286 Lafayette Cemetery, 1844-1933
Combines tomb inscriptions and interment records
(indicated with SUP).
Note: Combines inscriptions and records from Lafayette
No. 1 and No. 2.

GS36 286 Masonic Lodge Cemetery, 1868-1944
All data appears to be supplied from records
(indicated with SUP).
Note: The records appear to be primarily from the
1860s-70s; the 1944 date is unexplained.

GS36 286 Odd Fellows Rest Cemetery, 1849-1880
Only from interment records (all indicated with
SUP).

GS36 287 Protestant Cemetery, 1847
Only from interment records (no SUP, but
obviously from records).
Note: Most--if not all--of the about 30 deaths were
from yellow fever.

GS36 287 St. John Cemetery, 1867-1880
Only from interment records (all indicated with
SUP).

GS36 287-289 St. Joseph Cemetery, 1805-1930
Combines tomb inscriptions and interment records
(indicated with SUP).

GS36 290-295 St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, 1770-1935
Combines tomb inscriptions and interment records
(indicated with SUP).

GS36 295-299 St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, 1770-1935
Combines tomb inscriptions and interment records
(indicated with SUP).

GS36 299-302 St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, 1770-1935
Combines tomb inscriptions and interment records
(no SUP, but obviously from records).

GS36 302 St. Bernard Cemetery, 1850-1868
Only from inscriptions; 15 cards.

GS36 302 Charity Hospital, 1847
Only from interment records; all or most died from
yellow fever.

GS36 302-305 St. Patrick Cemetery, 1847-1935
Combines tomb inscriptions and interment records,
though most appear to be from records.

GS36 305 St. Roch No. 2 Cemetery, 1890-1935
Only from inscriptions; at the end there are cards
for the Negro Section.

GS36 305-308 St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery, 1847-1935
Combines inscriptions and records from St. Vincent
de Paul Nos. 1, 2, and 3.
Note: The daily interment records of St. Vincent de
Paul have a significant gap between 2 Jun 1855 and 25
Jun 1883 because of a fire that destroyed the daybook.

Corrections, clarifications, and additions are
invited.