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AGS Archives contains collections donated primarily by
members, and includes books, research papers,
photographs, postcards, articles, and other gravestone
related materials. In April 2009, the AGS Board
voted to transfer our Archives to the Department of
Special Collections, University of Massachusetts,
Amherst. Research in collections already moved may
be conducted according to their procedures. A complete
listing of Markers I - XXV is
also available for viewing and printing online.
Archive collection at University of Massachusetts -
Amherst.
Members may use the books and collections
not yet transferred by appointment with the Librarian in
the AGS Office. Materials may be used only in the AGS
office. When not in violation of copyright laws, some
materials may be photocopied for a fee.
Collecting Policy:
We collect the following types of
materials related to tombstones and cemeteries and the
Association for Gravestone Studies’ history, operation,
and activities:
Books
Journals
Published articles and other publications
Gravestone carver account books, diaries, and
correspondence
Account, carver name, and pattern books of tombstone
manufacturers
Academic research reports and theses
Cemetery maps, burial records, and other information
about interred
persons
Cemetery surveys, field notes, maps
Cemetery association newsletters, guides, brochures
Cemetery organization (fraternal and other) business
records and
minutes
Newspaper articles
Photo postcards
Printed funeral announcements
Photographs, slides, and negatives (digital and
conventional)
Audio and video recordings
Computer disks and CDs containing research or
photographs
Computerized GIS data
We do not accept:
Three
dimensional artifacts such as gravestones, casts, foil
impressions
Rubbings unless the stone is missing, the rubbing is
artistically
significant, or the decedent was historically
significant
Items
for sale (these may be donated to AGS, but not to the
Archives)
Items
that the donor does not own or have the legal right to
donate
To
donate items:
If you have items you would like to donate to the AGS
Archives, please contact Nancy Adgent, Archives
Committee Chair, c/o the AGS office. Donors are
required to sign a Deed of Gift transferring ownership
and specifying any restrictions on use of the
collection.
Photographs should be identified and include at
least the state, town and/or county, and cemetery name.
Additional information such as the decedent's name,
birth/death dates, and the carver’s name are useful for
researchers. Please do not glue photographs or place
them in ‘magnetic’ albums. Identifying data may be
written on the back of photographs in pencil, taking
care not to press hard. Digital images may be described
in the Properties/Summary section of Windows Picture
Manager.
Questions about care and handling of personal
items of historical research value may be found on the
National Archives website at:
http://www.archives.gov/preservation/family-archives/.
Research
Clearinghouse: AGS offers assistance to members
involved in research on specific types of gravestones,
carver attribution, symbols and ornamental carving,
epitaphs, and other aspects of gravestone studies.
Members may access this resource by contacting the AGS
Office. Inquiries may also be placed in the AGS monthly
electronic newsletter by sending the query to the AGS
office. Before you ask a question, please check
Preservation,
Symbolism, and
More Information sections for FAQs that have already
been answered.

Another wonderful resource is The Farber Gravestone
Collection, containing over 13,500 images
documenting the sculpture on more than 9,000
gravestones, most of which were made prior to 1800, in
the Northeastern part of the United States. The late
Daniel Farber of Worcester, Massachusetts, and his wife,
Jessie Lie Farber, were responsible for the largest
portion of the collection. This online version of the
Farber Gravestone Collection is sponsored by the
American Antiquarian Society and can be accessed
here.
See our More Information
page for an introduction to this collection written
by Jessie Lie Farber.

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