I am happy knowing that I'm not the only one who: 1) thinks cemeteries are fascinating and often very beautiful, peaceful places; and, 2) is addicted to family history research.

The vast majority of memorials I've created are the result of having photographed headstones of people who are total strangers to me. In doing so, my hope always has been that this helps family and friends find their loved ones. When I first seriously started researching my family history, of course I discovered findagrave. I'll never forget what a thrill it was to see the headstones --- with complete birth and death dates, woo-hoo! --- of my great-grandparents. A total stranger photographed those headstones, bless his heart ... and here I am, thousands of photos of strangers' headstones later. (-:

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On copying photos found on findagrave to ancestry.com or elsewhere:
************************************
1) Ask permission.
2) Document the source of the photo.

This will put you on the right side of copyright law, findagrave policy and ancestry.com's "Content Submission Agreement" when using photos you didn't take yourself.

RE: Step 1 - I give permission.
RE: Step 2 - In the photo description, say that the photo is from findagrave.com and used with my permission. Adding the memorial number is a good idea, too.

For other uses besides ancestry.com, please contact me. I'm interested in hearing how else my photos are helpful!

************************************
On cenotaphs:
************************************
A cenotaph memorial is not a duplicate memorial.

Quoting from "Help with Find a Grave":
What is a cenotaph? How do I have a memorial designated as a cenotaph?
A cenotaph is a tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of persons whose remains are buried elsewhere. It can also be the initial marker for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. To add a cenotaph, create a memorial just like any other. Then email [email protected] with a link to the memorial and a message to mark it as a cenotaph.

Happy family history sleuthing,
Amy

I am happy knowing that I'm not the only one who: 1) thinks cemeteries are fascinating and often very beautiful, peaceful places; and, 2) is addicted to family history research.

The vast majority of memorials I've created are the result of having photographed headstones of people who are total strangers to me. In doing so, my hope always has been that this helps family and friends find their loved ones. When I first seriously started researching my family history, of course I discovered findagrave. I'll never forget what a thrill it was to see the headstones --- with complete birth and death dates, woo-hoo! --- of my great-grandparents. A total stranger photographed those headstones, bless his heart ... and here I am, thousands of photos of strangers' headstones later. (-:

************************************
On copying photos found on findagrave to ancestry.com or elsewhere:
************************************
1) Ask permission.
2) Document the source of the photo.

This will put you on the right side of copyright law, findagrave policy and ancestry.com's "Content Submission Agreement" when using photos you didn't take yourself.

RE: Step 1 - I give permission.
RE: Step 2 - In the photo description, say that the photo is from findagrave.com and used with my permission. Adding the memorial number is a good idea, too.

For other uses besides ancestry.com, please contact me. I'm interested in hearing how else my photos are helpful!

************************************
On cenotaphs:
************************************
A cenotaph memorial is not a duplicate memorial.

Quoting from "Help with Find a Grave":
What is a cenotaph? How do I have a memorial designated as a cenotaph?
A cenotaph is a tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of persons whose remains are buried elsewhere. It can also be the initial marker for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. To add a cenotaph, create a memorial just like any other. Then email [email protected] with a link to the memorial and a message to mark it as a cenotaph.

Happy family history sleuthing,
Amy