Sweetheart Abbey on the outskirts of Dumfries is the burial place of James Eric Drummond, 16th Earl of Perth.

James Eric Drummond

Situated behind the right hand stone wall of Sweetheart Abbey in new Abbey, is the inconspicuous grave marker of James Eric Drummond, 16th Earl of Perth. 17/08/1876 to 15/12/1951
Also his beloved wife Angela C Maxwell Countess of Perth 10/12/1877 – 24/04/1965.

Two other memorials alongside are dedicated to Nancy Seymour Finke, countess of Perth who was born in New York City in 1911.  Wife of John David Drummond 17th Earl of Perth and the tragic 1964 grave of the 3 day old Annabella Margaret Drummond.

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Drummond Earls of Perth

Rampant Scotland - Drummond Castle, Perthshire.

A private burial place in the wilderness of Freedom Hills, Alabama has now become a Coon dog burial site and tourist attraction.

In 1937 Key Underwood sadly buried his faithful coondog, Troop. They had hunted together and been close friends for more than 15 years.

Coondog Cemetery direction sign

The burial spot was a popular hunting camp where coon hunters from miles around gathered to plot their hunting strategies, tell tall tales, chew tobacco and compare coon hounds. Those comparisons usually began and ended with Troop…he was the best around.

Underwood knew there was no place in the world Troop loved more than that camp. It was only fitting, he decided, that Troop spend eternity there.

On that dreary Labor Day of 1937, Underwood said good-bye to his legendary coonhound. On a rock from an old chimney, with a hammer and a screwdriver, Key chiseled out Troop’s name and the date. A special marker was erected in his memory.

Out of one hunter’s devotion to his faithfull coonhound, was born the “Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard,” which has became a popular tourist attraction and is the only cemetery of its kind in the world.

Other hunters started doing the same when their favorite coon dogs died. Today more than 185 coon dogs from all across the United States are buried in this spot in Northwest Alabama.

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Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard

Coon dogs - Find out more information about Coon Hounds.

The Borders Family History Society aim to help people with their family history primarily in the Border counties (Berwickshire, Peeblesshire, Roxburghshire and Selkirkshire) of Scotland, as well as in adjacent counties of England and Scotland.

There are many small kirk yards in the Scottish Borders

Monumental Inscriptions
Shows all Monumental Inscriptions volumes currently for sale.

Society members get a discount per volume.

Search the Gravestones Index
All published volumes can be searched online.

Each volume contains the inscription on all the (readable) gravestones (tombstones) in the respective burial place at the time of publication, and there is an index to the surnames in the inscriptions at the back.

Most volumes also include a Hearth Tax list, War Memorial inscriptions, a list of kirk ministers, and many have a militia list.

BFHS – Latest publication

Roxburghshire Monumental Inscriptions – No 21: Melrose Abbey
Available as a CD or an A4 format book, each has the same content.
564 gravestones.
Photos of the gravestones and their inscriptions.
Hearth Tax and Militia Roll.
Gravestone inscriptions in Melrose Abbey and grounds.

As well as the recorded volumes of tombstone inscriptions, the society also have useful indexes for Magazine Articles, Poor Law Records, Borders Family Trees.

Visit the Borders Family History Society Website

National Archive of Scotland (NAS)- The NAS holds historical records created by businesses, landed estates, families, churches and other corporate bodies. Every year tens of thousands of people from all over the world use the NAS’s services to carry out research, seek advice on record keeping, and enhance the learning and teaching of history.

The owner of the Carlislehistory.co.uk website has now completed recording the names on the gravestones in Carlisle’s Richardson Street cemetery, the city’s main burial place since 1855.

A surname index has been produced to the 24,000 names recorded.
 Very useful for those tracing relatives or carrying out family history research.

The site operates a very basic A – Z index and searching the index is free of charge.

More detailed information, such as full gravestone transcription, map and set of pictures are available for a small charge.

Further information

Carlisle City Council Bereavement Services Information about Carlisle Cemetery and details of other municipal cemeteries. Details of opening hours and other services available

Historical searches can be carried out upon request, usually free of charge.