Cemeteries Help Family Tree Research

When you think of a cemetery, what comes to mind?

They can be spooky during a dark Fall night, but during the day cemeteries can be quite peaceful. Often times wildlife are the only visitors. Cemeteries help family research so much with useful genealogy information!

Do you think about where your ancestors are buried, or might have a headstone or memorial?

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Virtual Cemetery

Many of my maternal relatives all have headstones in the same cemetery but in different areas. So without research, it wouldn’t be known that they are connected.

Through the help of FindAGrave.com you can search and locate burial locations.

Memorials and cemeteries help family and genealogist by providing helpful genealogy tips such as names, birth and death dates, relationships, and the persons interests through the art engravings and mementos.

(If you would like to volunteer for FindAGrave.com memorials, you can upload photos, transcribe pictures, support photo requests, suggest edits, upload spreadsheets, and create a virtual cemetery.)

How to Use FindAGrave.com

1. Start by Registering an account (or sign in with your existing account)
2. Enter your name, email, password, public username, opt in options, and agree to terms
3. Once logged in, you can begin searching!
4. Search by first name, middle name, last name, year born, year died, or cemetery location.
5. Search years by exact date or +/- approximate years
6. Once you enter the details, there will be a list of matching records found
7. If a volunteer submitted information you may be able to find burial details including location, dates, pictures, and related family member memorials
8. If you have located the memorial but there are no pictures, you can select the “request photo” button. This will send an alert to volunteers in the area of the cemetery.
9. If the request is complete you will receive an alert to your account.
10. There is an option to digitally “Leave a Flower”
11. By viewing flowers that other people have submitted, you may able to connect with other family or friends that also visited that memorial page.
12. If incorrect information is listed, follow the prompt to “suggest edits”
13. The memorial page has an option to “save to” an Ancestry.com family tree, virtual cemetery on findagrave.com, copied, or printed.

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