Research Services
Research Our Collections
The rural cemetery movement is a subject of growing interest to scholars and educators across disciplines including landscape and architectural history, horticulture, American studies, anthropology, sociology, natural sciences, and medicine. Within Mount Auburn's comprehensive archives, the only known collection of its kind in the nation, researchers can discover materials that reflect society's changing ideas about death and commemoration, religion and ethics, landscape design and nature, and conservation and environmentalism over nearly 200 years.
As many as 100 academic, cultural, and other institutions consult with Mount Auburn's Historical Collections & Archives annually. Researchers will find Mount Auburn's holdings organized into Archives, Library, Photographs, and Fine and Decorative Arts.
Genealogical Services
Mount Auburn Cemetery maintains a unique and historically significant Archive containing burial records dating back to 1831 for over 100,000 individuals. We are pleased to assist you with genealogy and research requests. Researchers do not have access to original materials.
Requests take 2-3 weeks to process once payment is received and not all records may be available for privacy. Cemetery policy restricts access to records that are less than 75 years old, with some exceptions for family members.
VERIFICATION OF BURIAL/CREMATION AND LOCATION – Free
- Name as it appears in the Cemetery records
- Date of burial or cremation
- Location of the lot, grave, crypt, or niche number
- Name of the closest path or avenue within the Cemetery
COPY OF HISTORIC LOT DIAGRAM CARD – Free
Please note these records relate to Cemetery lots and do not exist for grave purchases and public lots. Lot diagram cards stopped being produced in 2006.
- Surveyed plan of the lot showing shape and size
- Names and ages at death of all individuals buried in the lot
- Dates of interment for all individuals buried in the lot
- Lot number and path or avenue within the Cemetery
- Location of interments within the lot
- Name of lot proprietor and date of lot purchase
- Perpetual care status of the lot
- Location, shape of base of monuments and markers, and monument material (G for granite, M for marble, B for brownstone, S for sandstone)
COPY OF BURIAL/CREMATION RECORDS - $25.00
Order for Interment, Official Burial Permit, Transit Permit, Order for Cremation, Notice to Cremate, and Medical Examiners Certificate.
- Name of person and date of death
- Interment and cremation date
- Residence address at time of death
- Signatures, including relationship to deceased
- Cause of death and disposition of cremated remains
RESEARCH OF ARCHIVAL RECORDS - $40.00
Please note some files may be rich with content, while others may contain nothing of interest. Additional fees may apply for extensive research.
- Lot correspondence between the family and the Cemetery
- Decedent card with name, lot number, date or interment or cremation
- Lot care records including work orders
- Genealogical records provided by family members
- Monument, fence, and horticulture records and designs
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF LOT, MONUMENT, TOMB, OR MARKER - $25.00
Once payment is received and weather permitting, staff will take digital photos of the lot, and the front and back of the memorial for your personal reference.
Quick Links:
Locate a Grave
Search our burial records online to confirm a person or family is buried at Mount Auburn.
Explore our Collections
Our online catalogue provides virtual access to highlights from our historical collections.
Geneaological Requests
Request additional information about any person or family member buried at Mount Auburn.
Permission to Publish or Broadcast
Formal written permission is required from the Department of Historical Collections & Archives prior to publishing or rebroadcasting any item or work, in whole or in part, held by the Department. For permission to publish or quote from any of our materials, please submit your request to the department.
Duplication Services
Photocopying is done by Mount Auburn Collections staff. It is important to note that we reserve the right to refuse photocopy requests if the materials are very fragile and/or might be damaged by the duplication process.
Please note that providing reproductions does not constitute permission to publish or reproduce images in print or electronic form.
Contact Us!
Please direct research requests to the Curator at mwinslow@mountauburn.org.
Please direct all genealogical research requests to research@mountauburn.org.