I've always been fascinated by old cemeteries (and abandoned dwelling places) because they were a window into the past.

A few years ago, I made a 2500 mile pilgrimage to visit the graves of my grandmother, who had been a vivid presence in my life until her death, and her first husband, my grandfather who died when my father was still a boy. I spent an afternoon talking to them, kneeling by their graves, completing something that had gone unfinished in my life.

Later, after starting to revise and document our family genealogy, I interviewed an aunt and learned that I had many other relatives in the same cemetery and in other cemeteries nearby that I wasn't aware of. A missed opportunity. I was delighted to learn of Find A Grave. My first visit to the site, and an email inquiry solved a deadend for me.

I learned that many people are having problems tracing ancestors in the state I now live in, where graves and vital documents are often not indexed or digitized. I decided that recording some of the many small, obscure cemeteries here, and responding to inquiries was something I could contribute.

I've always been fascinated by old cemeteries (and abandoned dwelling places) because they were a window into the past.

A few years ago, I made a 2500 mile pilgrimage to visit the graves of my grandmother, who had been a vivid presence in my life until her death, and her first husband, my grandfather who died when my father was still a boy. I spent an afternoon talking to them, kneeling by their graves, completing something that had gone unfinished in my life.

Later, after starting to revise and document our family genealogy, I interviewed an aunt and learned that I had many other relatives in the same cemetery and in other cemeteries nearby that I wasn't aware of. A missed opportunity. I was delighted to learn of Find A Grave. My first visit to the site, and an email inquiry solved a deadend for me.

I learned that many people are having problems tracing ancestors in the state I now live in, where graves and vital documents are often not indexed or digitized. I decided that recording some of the many small, obscure cemeteries here, and responding to inquiries was something I could contribute.