Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just because it's carved in stone, doesn't mean it's right. I've known of individuals who reported their age as younger during their lifetime. The headstone reflects what the family believed or the impression the deceased wanted to give. With the correct birth year, a birth certificate may be found that otherwise would be missed if the headstone is believed. It's happened.
I did not use the sight very much when I first started tracing my roots. However about a year ago I started going to cemeteries in my local area (because of my wifes family being here for so long, while mine has always moved around quite a bit), since then I add cemeteries, photos, inscriptions, etc, and when it was my family I added the plot as well as info from death certificates. While some one else added photos of the graves. I think it is a great site and wish more people would use it.
FindAGrave was very useful in finding lineage on one side of my family going back into the 1870s. My family at that time had stayed in the same general area, so there were about 4 generations buried in the same cemetery. Someone kindly took time to take pictures and upload to the website, sometimes they provided more details such as death certificates. The information shared on FindAGrave can be quite helpful to jump-start an initial genealogical research, especially if you don't live near the area where your ancestors had lived and died. If I had free time, I would help contribute.
I would imagine that dates can be incorrect on tombstones. I have not done extensive research to see what could be incorrect, but I imagine it is more common than most would think.
I just found a g-greataunt that I had been looking for for years on Find A Grave. I had assumed she died in Indiana, but found that she died in Kansas. The record had been posted less than a year ago, it sure made my day!
Sometimes the headstone is put up years after the person died. Many times the person supplying the information just simply didn't know the correct date.
Yes, I have used it. I do have some gravesite pics I should upload. Also, I have seen some of my photos that I know I have passed onto other relatives, on there, they obviously uploaded them. That is nice.
I just found a g-greataunt that I had been looking for for years on Find A Grave. I had assumed she died in Indiana, but found that she died in Kansas. The record had been posted less than a year ago, it sure made my day!
Keep in mind that just because someone was buried in a particular location doesn't necessarily mean they died there.
I would occasionally use Find A Grave if it popped up on one of my searches but other than that didn't really use it much. I just started taking full advantage of it by adding my family names into it AND becoming a volunteer photographer. What fun! I love old cemeteries and so now I have a reason to wander them lol....I've taken my kids out on a couple of photo hunts and planning on doing one this morning...
I love that site!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bjh
That's spooky, not in a ghostly way. I found that ancestors had been moved from graves in MA and was not happy about it.
What happened to RIP!?
it went the way of the dodo, when "immanent domain" came around.
Quote:
Originally Posted by misplaced1
Sometimes rubbing helps to read the oldies. Maybe suggest that if it's difficult to read.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PA2UK
I imagine rubbing would only help if the text is covered with dirt. Some of them are so old, they are literally eroding so the letters and numbers aren't clear and rubbing might even make it worse. Unless you mean taking A rubbing (placing paper over it and rubbing it with crayons or something)?
Yes that kind of "rubbing', lol. I prefer a charcoal pencil instead of crayons though. For some reason, I get better results.
Speaking of imminent domain, I was looking for the grave of an early ancestor until I looked on Find A Grave and saw that he's now under a boulder with a plaque on it. Seems they had to build a highway. So last fall I had to have someone from that town help me find the boulder which is now on somebody's property.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Seems they had to build a highway. So last fall I had to have someone from that town help me find the boulder which is now on somebody's property.
