These snippets show examples of original sources used to document most, though not all, Ritchie burials. They include Topeka City Clerk death records, newspaper obituaries, and funeral home records.
In future posts, we will discuss these record series and other, sometimes unexpected, sources of burial information. We will also credit the work of earlier researchers and their efforts to document burials at Ritchie.
Records of other Topeka cemeteries also proved to be especially useful in sorting out conflicting information and providing insights into some family relationships.
Datasets & Sources
This purpose of this page is analogous to that of appendices. It will be used as a hub for accessing two types of information: 1) tables and dataset pages with person-specific data about documented burials; and 2) identification of research source materials related not only to burials, but also the more general cemetery history.
As with the rest of the site, content will be added incrementally over time. Each major addition will be introduced via a blog post about the new content. Where appropriate, data limitations will be identified, as well as our approach to resolving data conflicts among sources.
Besides the most recent blog posts in the "details" category, this page will include links connecting to the following information:
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A list of all known burials, including name, date of death, age, gender, race, birth state, and other characteristics
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A list of potential burials
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Source documentation for each person reviewed, including those ultimately determined to be buried elsewhere
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Identification of 47 known family groups and their composition
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Tennessee Town Census data for the people enumerated in it who are buried at Ritchie (the census was a survey conducted in the Tennessee Town neighborhood by the Central Congregational Church circa 1898)
Finally, we will provide standard source documentation for the reference materials used in our research.
