When I started looking for my extended families' grave sites 25 years ago, my children would help me. They were the ones who most often found the most modest or well hidden headstones or grave makers. They started calling my quest "Grave Hopping" as I would very often hop over the graves when I realized I was standing on some other families' plot. It was when my daughter found the headstone of a famous Chicago mobster during one visit, that lead to a lesson of Chicago history for that time period.

Most of the obituaries I share are from the Chicago Tribune which I found the old fashion ways: grandmothers' collections and microfiche at the Schaumburg, IL Library. Others were found on the Chicago Tribune Historical Archive website.

Funeral Cards were found among my Grandmother 's and Grandaunt's papers.

*Names of known living relatives have been omitted.

When I started looking for my extended families' grave sites 25 years ago, my children would help me. They were the ones who most often found the most modest or well hidden headstones or grave makers. They started calling my quest "Grave Hopping" as I would very often hop over the graves when I realized I was standing on some other families' plot. It was when my daughter found the headstone of a famous Chicago mobster during one visit, that lead to a lesson of Chicago history for that time period.

Most of the obituaries I share are from the Chicago Tribune which I found the old fashion ways: grandmothers' collections and microfiche at the Schaumburg, IL Library. Others were found on the Chicago Tribune Historical Archive website.

Funeral Cards were found among my Grandmother 's and Grandaunt's papers.

*Names of known living relatives have been omitted.