Various sites throughout Maryland in that capacity as a consultant. I give talks to various organizations.Ĭoalition to Protect Maryland Burial Sites for the past three years and visited I serve as a consultant with archeologists, government officials, church groups, and individuals. I have focused much research on African American and institutional cemeteries that are the most elusive. Areas of continuing interest include documenting old and neglected cemeteries, photographing and transcribing tombstone inscriptions, and seeking out documentation from varied sources including death certificates, newspapers, land and church records, funeral programs, and interviewing community residents. I have been the Cemetery Chairman for over 30 years. I joined the Anne Arundel Genealogical Society to research my family history and took on a project working with cemetery records. Long before I understood genealogy terms I would attempt to determine connections between family members fueled by knowledge that her mother had a number of unknown relatives. How did you become involved with the field of cemetery research? We recently had a chance to catch up with researcher and author, Tina Simmons, about her work in cemetery research and in cemetery preservation. Mac on in Cemetery Research, Genealogy Education, InterviewĬemetery Research: Interview with Tina Simmons