As you may know if you've read my earlier posts, I'm obsessed with genealogical and historical research. While researching my own family, I found evidence of some family members' graves in other states, and have been unable to visit. Thankfully, there is a site called Find-a-Grave, that catalogs all cemeteries, and provides information about who's buried there. Plus, if you can't get to the cemetery, there are volunteers who will go to the cemetery and photograph the gravestones for you!
So that's what I do. I look at the listings for who has requested photos of their family members' gravestones, and then try to locate them and take photos. Each person has their own listing on the site, complete with their birth and death information, and biographies. It's a wonderful resource, if a creepy hobby.
Most of the time I work in the cemeteries close to home, and while I'm walking my dogs. Shhh, they just made it illegal to walk dogs in our cemeteries! I'm waiting for them to post signs. Anyway, if you're looking for information about your family members, this is a great resource. I think it was bought by Ancestry. com, but a great resource is a great resource.
I hope you're able to locate family members and get photos of graves you're interested in. Sometimes there's no stone. I found relatives located in Boston, and realized the family had no money for a stone. Somewhere in a quaint field in the back of Forest Hills Cemetery called The Field of Manoah, is buried my Great Great Great Grandmother and her daughter. The grandmother died days after giving birth, and the baby, her namesake, Elizabeth, died 22 days later. A sad story, but it explained why that branch of the family moved from Massachusetts to Philadelphia. (Then back again!)
Let me know what you think of my creepy hobby, and follow me for more!
