Please do not download any snapshots of newspaper clippings, death certificates, census, draft registrations, burial cards, etc. Photos of grave markers and portraits are especially appreciated. My preference is transcribed obituaries or biographies with citations.
~ ~ ~
My first interest is in Genealogy. My father's family is primarily around Franklin County, Missouri, and the St. Louis area. My mother's side is in northern Alabama/Mississippi and southwest Tennessee. In recent times, my family has scattered from coast to coast. I like putting my family groups together and finding out their story. In the "old days," I depended on oral histories and microfiche at the Latter-Day Saints Family History Libraries and numerous Historical Societies. Then, the internet made resources very accessible. Constantly, I am finding updates on Newspaper.com, GenealogyBank.com, LDS Family Search, Ancestry.com, and, of course, Findagrave.com.

When first subscribing to Findagrave.com, I was only interested in my family. In 2019, I found so many folks still needed memorials on findagrave.com. I was searching for a family member on Newspaper.com when I came across an article (1918) celebrating Civil War Veterans buried in their community. The Civil War had been all too well documented but not on Findagrave.com. I found that so much family history goes missing within a generation. So many photographs are unidentifiable.

This internet site is an excellent resource for genealogy. Having a photographed grave maker can provide a wealth of information. The obvious are names and dates, but sometimes maiden names, marriage dates, places of birth, parents and children, service in the military, etc.

I don't take the memorials I have made nonchalantly; I want to make them as complete and precise with the information I have found at the time. A local volunteer is mostly has photographed the grave marker. They are most valuable, but we are, in our way, contributing to the site. When I request a photograph, it is usually for my family research, but other times, when stumped for information to make a memorial, I have made it more thorough. Or, it might be the last photograph needed to complete a linked family group.

I enjoy cemeteries, especially ones with old ornate monuments or the symmetry of a National Cemetery across the landscape. When I request photographs, I usually ask for two: one of the marker itself and another of the area with the marker or, if it doesn't have a marker, a photograph with a recognizable landmark of the plot. The second photograph is beneficial to show the 'sense of space.' Sometimes, a neglected grave, the photographer will bring attention to the site, either to the cemetery maintenance or take it on themselves. I think this is a crucial role to pay respect to the burial site.

All Findagrave.com Volunteers play an essential role in documenting the graves. It provides valid data to the cemeteries of interments and markers. It provides research material for genealogists. But most of all, it gives respect and honor to the ones that have passed.

Findagrave.com Volunteers serve in various ways; some enter the initial basic information, some do research, some take photographs, some concentrate on Veterans, Religious Professions, Police/Fire, and others have a favorite cemetery. Some volunteers like the solitude on cemetery grounds. Others want the social activity of scanning/surveying a cemetery one section at a time. All are essential roles. One does not have to live in a particular area; one does not have to be a relative to the Memorialized. It all works, is all-important, and does not matter who does it. Whatever motives one has, it all contributes to the end goal of remembering, honoring, and respecting the ones that have passed.

In closing, I truly appreciate all the Findagrave.com Volunteers. Especially the ones that are in the field and take photographs. Researchers like me are grateful to find another piece of their family history!

Please do not download any snapshots of newspaper clippings, death certificates, census, draft registrations, burial cards, etc. Photos of grave markers and portraits are especially appreciated. My preference is transcribed obituaries or biographies with citations.
~ ~ ~
My first interest is in Genealogy. My father's family is primarily around Franklin County, Missouri, and the St. Louis area. My mother's side is in northern Alabama/Mississippi and southwest Tennessee. In recent times, my family has scattered from coast to coast. I like putting my family groups together and finding out their story. In the "old days," I depended on oral histories and microfiche at the Latter-Day Saints Family History Libraries and numerous Historical Societies. Then, the internet made resources very accessible. Constantly, I am finding updates on Newspaper.com, GenealogyBank.com, LDS Family Search, Ancestry.com, and, of course, Findagrave.com.

When first subscribing to Findagrave.com, I was only interested in my family. In 2019, I found so many folks still needed memorials on findagrave.com. I was searching for a family member on Newspaper.com when I came across an article (1918) celebrating Civil War Veterans buried in their community. The Civil War had been all too well documented but not on Findagrave.com. I found that so much family history goes missing within a generation. So many photographs are unidentifiable.

This internet site is an excellent resource for genealogy. Having a photographed grave maker can provide a wealth of information. The obvious are names and dates, but sometimes maiden names, marriage dates, places of birth, parents and children, service in the military, etc.

I don't take the memorials I have made nonchalantly; I want to make them as complete and precise with the information I have found at the time. A local volunteer is mostly has photographed the grave marker. They are most valuable, but we are, in our way, contributing to the site. When I request a photograph, it is usually for my family research, but other times, when stumped for information to make a memorial, I have made it more thorough. Or, it might be the last photograph needed to complete a linked family group.

I enjoy cemeteries, especially ones with old ornate monuments or the symmetry of a National Cemetery across the landscape. When I request photographs, I usually ask for two: one of the marker itself and another of the area with the marker or, if it doesn't have a marker, a photograph with a recognizable landmark of the plot. The second photograph is beneficial to show the 'sense of space.' Sometimes, a neglected grave, the photographer will bring attention to the site, either to the cemetery maintenance or take it on themselves. I think this is a crucial role to pay respect to the burial site.

All Findagrave.com Volunteers play an essential role in documenting the graves. It provides valid data to the cemeteries of interments and markers. It provides research material for genealogists. But most of all, it gives respect and honor to the ones that have passed.

Findagrave.com Volunteers serve in various ways; some enter the initial basic information, some do research, some take photographs, some concentrate on Veterans, Religious Professions, Police/Fire, and others have a favorite cemetery. Some volunteers like the solitude on cemetery grounds. Others want the social activity of scanning/surveying a cemetery one section at a time. All are essential roles. One does not have to live in a particular area; one does not have to be a relative to the Memorialized. It all works, is all-important, and does not matter who does it. Whatever motives one has, it all contributes to the end goal of remembering, honoring, and respecting the ones that have passed.

In closing, I truly appreciate all the Findagrave.com Volunteers. Especially the ones that are in the field and take photographs. Researchers like me are grateful to find another piece of their family history!