Cemetery Transcription Project of the
Falmouth Genealogical Society

In  2001 the Falmouth Genealogical Society (FGS) committed to "read" the burying grounds and cemeteries in the Town of Falmouth, Massachusetts.

Mission: Research and publish reliable information about the burials and gravestones in Falmouth cemeteries for the benefit of genealogical and historical research.

Methodology: Training of all volunteers was begun in the Fall of 2002.  Additional training sessions have been conducted each year of the project.  At the training sessions volunteers are taught cemetery safety, how to properly clean a gravestone, how to photograph a gravestone and, how to record the information on each gravestone.

Dedication          Burying Grounds and Cemeteries          Make a Contribution

This website is dedicated to William "Bill" Dunkle.
I will not give the years of his life on earth because there is so much information in that dash between the years. Instead I offer my recollections of how Bill helped to inspire this project and website. His obituary is below so you can gain other information the dash on his gravestone can not provide.

Bill's help in finding information previously written about the graveyards in Falmouth, MA was invaluable. In fact his personal library contained articles he, and other had written, and were un-published. His library was a treasure trove for my research. He knew the dates and times when I, and members of the Falmouth Genealogical Society (FGS), were working to record the information on the gravestones. Bill would check up on me or call me with valuable information about each burying ground were we worked. His lovely wife Shirley R. Dunkle nee Raiche is a member of our troop, always loyal to the process of recording the inscriptions on the gravestones.

For many years Bill was the caretaker of The North Falmouth Cemetery giving FGS a beautiful map of that cemetery. He and Shirley spent many hours going over the reading forms and adding the Vital Records information. In fact when Bill discovered I did not have a copy of The Vital Records of Falmouth MA to 1850 researched by his friend Col. Oliver Brown, who passed away in 1995, Bill photocopied the entire book for me and put every page in an archival, plastic sleeve. Bill also photocopied the unpublished work The Vital Records of Falmouth MA 1850 - 1874 by Col. Brown for me.

Col. Brown became a legend to me from Bills stories and I asked Bill what he was called; "Brownie" was his answer. Since then Col. Brown has been "Brownie" to me. I know Bill will become a legend to future researchers at The Falmouth Historical Society, I hope they call him "Bill" and not Mr. Dunkle.

I'll miss you my friend and I know you'll be guiding my hand in the graveyards.

Peace and Love,
Donna

William M. (Bill) Dunkle, 81, of North Falmouth passed away on August 23, 2010 at Falmouth Hospital. Raised in Waban and Duxbury, he settled in North Falmouth in 1959 and has spent most of his life here.

During the Korean War, Mr. Dunkle served as a paratrooper in the 503rd Airborne and was stationed at Ft. Campbell, KY and in Alaska.

Known as Bill, he learned the trade of mapmaking and drafting in the military and at Wentworth Institute. He was hired as a draftsman at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in February 1953 where he worked for 41 years. He spent many happy years working there, went to sea on a number of oceanographic cruises, and collected and stored data for the department of Geology and Geophysics. He eventually became an Archivist and Data Librarian for the Institution and was affectionately dubbed the "director of institutional memory". Bill never threw anything away. He retired in 1995.

Mr. Dunkle met his wife, Shirley Raiche, of Fairhaven while square-dancing at the Woods Hole Community Hall when both worked at WHOI. They were married in September 1956. Bill was a master craftsman, building furniture, toys, puzzles, picture frames, and "fixing up" his beloved 200 year old house. He was passionate about local history and genealogy, publishing a pamphlet on the historic houses of North Falmouth in 1976. He was a member of the Falmouth Historical Society, the North Falmouth Village Association, and the North Falmouth Cemetery Association.

He leaves his wife, Shirley R. Dunkle, his sister, Carolyn Barnes/of Pocasset, two daughters, Karen D. Hotte of Marion and Deborah D. Clemons of Hanson, seven grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers donations in Bill's memory may be made to the Falmouth Historical Society P.O. Box 174 Falmouth, MA 02541.