I've been doing genealogical research since the early 1980's. My focus has been on my own heritage but over the years, I have done a lot of research in support of others, particularly those just getting started on the trail of their own heritage.

I've used Find A Grave since 2006. It is a great genealogical tool because it can connect the living to a tangible element of their heritage. A gravesite (and marker potentially) where an ancestor is buried can be profoundly impactful to currently living descendants.

Find A Grave has only suggestions (not hard rules) for who should hold an individual memorial record as its "maintainer". I believe that it is respectful (to the living and dead) to transfer records to any relative that wishes to care for another relative by maintaining their memorial record.

Find A Grave is a tool, and can be a great one, by providing a "bread crumb" trail for the living to follow. There are many very different types of effort that create value and depth to Find A Grave memorial. Some contributors find enjoyment in creating individual memorial records (thousands, even millions of them, without necessarily having a relations to the individuals). The people that have done this for individuals, or even entire cemeteries, are to be commended because without that effort there is nothing in Find A Grave to work with. There are contributors that simply wish to make connections between records (spouses, parents, siblings and children). They create the second layer of significant value/depth by making Find A Grave a navigable tool through a family tree. There are some contributors that enjoy adding photos/transcriptions/obituaries to records and in doing so increase the tangible aspects of the associated individual. And there are some contributors that wish to memorialize individuals by providing context to their life through the additions of biographical sketches. This allows the individual to be visualized, and even develop personality. All of these efforts (and others) are important and should be encouraged to memorialize the dead, but also in the assistance of the living using Find A Grave to explore their heritage.

For all that have done genealogical research, you know how exciting it is to find a relevant nugget of the past, and how phenomenal it is when on the rare occasion you come across a real cache of information about your ancestry. While Find A Grave is built upon the individuals and their gravesite, their memory is best served, when it is successfully connected to their living relatives.

Jeff

I've been doing genealogical research since the early 1980's. My focus has been on my own heritage but over the years, I have done a lot of research in support of others, particularly those just getting started on the trail of their own heritage.

I've used Find A Grave since 2006. It is a great genealogical tool because it can connect the living to a tangible element of their heritage. A gravesite (and marker potentially) where an ancestor is buried can be profoundly impactful to currently living descendants.

Find A Grave has only suggestions (not hard rules) for who should hold an individual memorial record as its "maintainer". I believe that it is respectful (to the living and dead) to transfer records to any relative that wishes to care for another relative by maintaining their memorial record.

Find A Grave is a tool, and can be a great one, by providing a "bread crumb" trail for the living to follow. There are many very different types of effort that create value and depth to Find A Grave memorial. Some contributors find enjoyment in creating individual memorial records (thousands, even millions of them, without necessarily having a relations to the individuals). The people that have done this for individuals, or even entire cemeteries, are to be commended because without that effort there is nothing in Find A Grave to work with. There are contributors that simply wish to make connections between records (spouses, parents, siblings and children). They create the second layer of significant value/depth by making Find A Grave a navigable tool through a family tree. There are some contributors that enjoy adding photos/transcriptions/obituaries to records and in doing so increase the tangible aspects of the associated individual. And there are some contributors that wish to memorialize individuals by providing context to their life through the additions of biographical sketches. This allows the individual to be visualized, and even develop personality. All of these efforts (and others) are important and should be encouraged to memorialize the dead, but also in the assistance of the living using Find A Grave to explore their heritage.

For all that have done genealogical research, you know how exciting it is to find a relevant nugget of the past, and how phenomenal it is when on the rare occasion you come across a real cache of information about your ancestry. While Find A Grave is built upon the individuals and their gravesite, their memory is best served, when it is successfully connected to their living relatives.

Jeff