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Can't get to a cemetery you want to visit on Memorial Day? Consider Find A Grave.
Many veterans headstones - from contemporary to colonial days.
It is a good way to pay one's respects when it is not possible to travel the distance, including the distance of time. Many volunteers photograph and record information on headstones at cemeteries near to them. It is probably no surprise that most folks doing so are genealogists.
As a result it is possible to search at the site and possibly find headstones - including those of ancestors - and unknown ancestors since family members are often linked at the profile of each person's headstone. It is possible to leave a message, virtual flowers, perhaps there is a coin icon also. Most of the information is correct. But when doing genealogical research we verify information found, and some add verified information.
No need to register to search. However, anyone can register and needs to, to add photographed headstones in cemeteries not already added; to add information to a profile. So a search may turn up names of the living. (I'm registered, still kicking though, lol.) Some of the folks in local genealogical organizations, or family members, often add information to the profiles - like scanned clippings of obituaries, passages from books, photos from many decades ago.
Its a good way to visit the resting places of many loved ones.
Many veterans headstones - from contemporary to colonial days.
It is a good way to pay one's respects when it is not possible to travel the distance, including the distance of time. Many volunteers photograph and record information on headstones at cemeteries near to them. It is probably no surprise that most folks doing so are genealogists.
As a result it is possible to search at the site and possibly find headstones - including those of ancestors - and unknown ancestors since family members are often linked at the profile of each person's headstone. It is possible to leave a message, virtual flowers, perhaps there is a coin icon also. Most of the information is correct. But when doing genealogical research we verify information found, and some add verified information.
No need to register to search. However, anyone can register and needs to, to add photographed headstones in cemeteries not already added; to add information to a profile. So a search may turn up names of the living. (I'm registered, still kicking though, lol.) Some of the folks in local genealogical organizations, or family members, often add information to the profiles - like scanned clippings of obituaries, passages from books, photos from many decades ago.
Its a good way to visit the resting places of many loved ones.
Find a Grave - Millions of Cemetery Records
Posted from findagrave.com
Memorial Day
Genealogy
Research
Posted >1 y ago
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Thank you for the reminder sister Mary SGT Mary G. . I have slacked off my genealogy work the last several months. We base out of familysearch.org , but they link to findagrave.com, and others. The photo component of findagrave is a real plus.
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SGT Mary G.
CWO4 Terrence Clark First time I found a photo of an ancestor at FindAGrave who I had never seen a photo of, I was floored! Grateful for the folks who contribute those treasures. I haven't been doing much genealogy lately either.
I use familysearch more than I used to because it has improved greatly through the years as a resource for scanned documents and links to resources. I have a maternal cousin who was part of getting better quality control going on there.
Have you checked out wikitree.com? The accuracy is not perfect, but requiring it is built into the creating the profiles. The worst problem is the addition of gedcoms that create too many profile with only a name and little more - which is a no no at that website. It requires at least vital statistics to start a profile.<sigh> All vital statistic facts need to be cited and documented. Also all who are registered members at the site commit to doing some type of work at the site. There are many types. The predominately empty gedcom entries seem to generate most of the work. That is the "cost" of it, lol for registered folks. Not a registered member, absolutely free.
With so many of the same names in one's local areas of research, researching some of those empty profiles almost always connects in some way to one's own ancestors - intermarriage, neighbors, same military unit, tasked to keep the same road cleared.
I think that we sometimes don't take into account how small in number many of the early colonial communities were - even into the 1800s too. I know this, but have to frequently remind myself. It's no wonder we encounter the same names repeatedly when doing research because many of those folks moved west (at the time western Pennsylvania, Kentucky Illinois, Ohio) together to settle in the same places. And when there are large families, oh dear! How many generations and how many cousins within a generation all have the same name of a grandfather or great grandfather! We not only meet our own ancestors if we are lucky, but sometimes we meet the entire extended family for a few generations trying to find the ancestor! It is easier to find information about women in those cases, than men - although the problem exists with women having the same names too.
I need to stop! Could easily go on and on and on about genealogy. LOL
I use familysearch more than I used to because it has improved greatly through the years as a resource for scanned documents and links to resources. I have a maternal cousin who was part of getting better quality control going on there.
Have you checked out wikitree.com? The accuracy is not perfect, but requiring it is built into the creating the profiles. The worst problem is the addition of gedcoms that create too many profile with only a name and little more - which is a no no at that website. It requires at least vital statistics to start a profile.<sigh> All vital statistic facts need to be cited and documented. Also all who are registered members at the site commit to doing some type of work at the site. There are many types. The predominately empty gedcom entries seem to generate most of the work. That is the "cost" of it, lol for registered folks. Not a registered member, absolutely free.
With so many of the same names in one's local areas of research, researching some of those empty profiles almost always connects in some way to one's own ancestors - intermarriage, neighbors, same military unit, tasked to keep the same road cleared.
I think that we sometimes don't take into account how small in number many of the early colonial communities were - even into the 1800s too. I know this, but have to frequently remind myself. It's no wonder we encounter the same names repeatedly when doing research because many of those folks moved west (at the time western Pennsylvania, Kentucky Illinois, Ohio) together to settle in the same places. And when there are large families, oh dear! How many generations and how many cousins within a generation all have the same name of a grandfather or great grandfather! We not only meet our own ancestors if we are lucky, but sometimes we meet the entire extended family for a few generations trying to find the ancestor! It is easier to find information about women in those cases, than men - although the problem exists with women having the same names too.
I need to stop! Could easily go on and on and on about genealogy. LOL
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CWO4 Terrence Clark
SGT Mary G. I agree, genealogy is addictive. Not something to dip into for a few minutes and on to something else. BTW. you wouldn't be that lady who left messages on my board chewing me out over placement of maiden names would you? :-)) :-))
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SGT Mary G.
CWO4 Terrence Clark Nope! No me. LOL.
Although . . . lol . . . the "standard" of professional genealogists is to use ONLY maiden names! Not everyone is. Few are professional genealogists, and few endeavor to be. However, online formatting seems to be iaw the website - so gotta go with the flow.
Sounds like you board is at Familysearch. I haven't post anything there, although I recall adding a source to something a relative posted.
I put my stuff on wikitree, and have connected up with distant relatives who share the same ancestors. It gets "interesting" when there is a difference of opinion about facts or formatting, doesn't it!!
In most cases my attitude is "let sleeping dogs lie". LOL The professional genealogists can deal with that!
I have noticed a number of entries at familysearch that cite wikitree profiles as a source. However, citing the sources used on wikitree profiles too would provide information for folks to more easily verify. Whenever I've found information online, anywhere, I cite the website, AND the sources they use if verifiable. I wish more folks would add sources to Find A Grave when they add information.
In the past I was not fastidious about citing sources of information and of course regretted it when I started putting information online. Because . . I would find the name of a book in my records from long before online access, and a call number, an unreadable page number . . . and sometimes the source is not scanned and online. Lesson learned! All the scanned sources online these days are a luxury!
Do you use archive.org to find sources? I have better luck finding what I'm looking for there by simply doing a google search for a book. If it is scanned and "living" at archive.org it will usually turn up in the search. I think many are linked at familysearch too, but I have found a google search to be an easier direct route if the source is online, even if it is a direct route to a link at familysearch.
Although . . . lol . . . the "standard" of professional genealogists is to use ONLY maiden names! Not everyone is. Few are professional genealogists, and few endeavor to be. However, online formatting seems to be iaw the website - so gotta go with the flow.
Sounds like you board is at Familysearch. I haven't post anything there, although I recall adding a source to something a relative posted.
I put my stuff on wikitree, and have connected up with distant relatives who share the same ancestors. It gets "interesting" when there is a difference of opinion about facts or formatting, doesn't it!!
In most cases my attitude is "let sleeping dogs lie". LOL The professional genealogists can deal with that!
I have noticed a number of entries at familysearch that cite wikitree profiles as a source. However, citing the sources used on wikitree profiles too would provide information for folks to more easily verify. Whenever I've found information online, anywhere, I cite the website, AND the sources they use if verifiable. I wish more folks would add sources to Find A Grave when they add information.
In the past I was not fastidious about citing sources of information and of course regretted it when I started putting information online. Because . . I would find the name of a book in my records from long before online access, and a call number, an unreadable page number . . . and sometimes the source is not scanned and online. Lesson learned! All the scanned sources online these days are a luxury!
Do you use archive.org to find sources? I have better luck finding what I'm looking for there by simply doing a google search for a book. If it is scanned and "living" at archive.org it will usually turn up in the search. I think many are linked at familysearch too, but I have found a google search to be an easier direct route if the source is online, even if it is a direct route to a link at familysearch.
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Thank you, Mary, for sharing this valuable resource. I have used it quite a bit in the desktop work of putting my family tree together. Hadn't thought of it in terms of Memorial Day, but it's a great suggestion!
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