Documenting the dead: Preserving more than 130 cemeteries in New Hanover County [Video]

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Keeping track of the historic cemeteries of New Hanover County, many of which have been long forgotten or recently discovered, is no easy task.

In February, volunteers, the Historic Wilmington Foundation and UNCW combined efforts to get a better understanding of who is buried in Maides Cemetery, a historic African American cemetery off Manly Road in Wilmington.

“This area, where it’s sunken in a little bit, you know someone’s under there,” said Karl Boykin, working to rake away debris.

He is having a full-circle moment. He is retired from Washington, now living down the street in the home his ancestors built. He knows of at least three ancestors that are buried somewhere in the cemetery.

“It’s a fascinating puzzle,” said Boykin. “Everybody likes to know where they’re from, you know, that’s just human instinct to know what happened before you and how you got where you …