This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may receive a small commission (at zero cost to you). Please see my full disclosure policy for details.
One of the first FREE websites I discovered during my genealogy search was findagrave.com. Perhaps I was a bit silly when I compared the site to a game of roulette, but it really is a chance game. And although it can offer some amazing FAVORABLE FACTS it can also cause you to stumble in your ancestral research due to FAULTY FACTS.
In today’s post I would like to propose (1) why you should consider becoming a contributor on Find a Grave for your family’s memorials, (2) why you should not brush aside Find a Grave as a viable resource, and (3) why you must be on your guard for faulty “facts” when researching the site.
Table of Contents
Family Facilitators
Anyone with an email account and computer can make themselves a contributor to Find a Grave. These contributors are able to add grave memorials, grave photos, family photos, obituaries, biographies, and suggest family connections with other deceased individuals listed on Find a Grave.
I myself have been able to add memorials for my grandparents and upload grave photos and obituaries for a few other relatives.
One example would be MRS JULIA SHAMPINE YOUNG (My 3rd Great Grandmother)
As you can see – if you look at her memorial, I added a copy of her obituary from The Ogdensburg Journal (copy and paste), added her grave marker photograph, and requested permission to connect her memorial to that of her children and husband, OLIVER A YOUNG, whose memorial was created by another contributor.
So if you are a family historian and find your family member’s memorial poorly tended to, feel free to contact the current moderator to request the role of manager be transferred to you. But know that this is no light position. You can lead people astray in their research with a simple typographical error.
Also, if you can’t find your family member’s memorial listed, you are welcome to create one yourself. Just remember you are providing these records, photos, stories, details to anyone who should deem to hazard a search online.
On a side note, if someone finds their loved one on the site and wishes their memorial to be taken down – Find a Grave will acquiesce at the request of an immediate family member.
Favorable Facts
The best part of Find a Grave has to be the nuggets of gold you find buried in photographs, memorials, obituaries, and stories.
Two of the best nuggets I found were:
(1) When looking at my 2nd great grandfather’s headstone, I saw that there were also listed 3 children. I had never known that there were any other children aside from my great grandmother, Hildred. So I did some digging through old newspapers using the 3 names I had uncovered and what do you know? They really did exist and I found “cards of thanks” in the newspapers listing the deceased as well as my great grandmother and her parents.
With this knowledge, I was confidently able to add 3 more memorials to Find a Grave for my great grandmother’s siblings. I decided that it was best to include the newspaper clippings I had found online to support each memorial in case anyone would come looking. (Example: Faith Lenore Young)
(2) When looking for another 2nd great grandfather (on my mother’s father’s side of the family) I struck gold too. I found his obituary that had been published in “The Cobleskill Times” which is unfortunately not available online for review. I would otherwise never have found this obituary. The obituary confirmed several relationships I had been 80% convinced about due to censuses and other records on Ancestry.com.
Faulty Facts
Similar to Wikipedia, Find A Grave is an online database run by volunteers. And therein comes the major complaint and concern. Volunteers are human and can make huge mistakes that have rippling negative effects.
Example
A contributor lists “Jane Doe (1800-1873)” as the daughter of “John Doe (1770-1832)” and therefore she is immediately connected to the rest of his family. But what if Jane Doe is in fact the daughter of “John Doe (1772-1832)”?
And now someone comes to Find a Grave to get family details and expects to find reliable information so they take it as fact that Jane Doe’s father is “John Doe (1770-1832)” and include that in their ancestry.com family tree.
Do you see what is going to happen next? They are going to put together a whole new family tree based on that one supposition about John Doe. And the tree goes up in smokes (figuratively).
So there you have it. Three tips to keep in mind when doing ancestral research on Find a Grave. Oh wait, one last tip — NEVER EVER accept a hint on Ancestry.com that comes from Find a Grave unless (1) you are 100% sure of the connections and (2) unless you actually click on the link to see if this person is, in fact, your ancestor.
Happy Searching! And please stay safe.
I think there should be more improvements on this system. I know that I’ll be curious to try this service maybe in future once it is accurate enough.
In our religion we cremate and hence the only way to get to know more about our ancestors are through discussion with our parents. I have always been fascinated to know more about our family tree of the past and learned so much about them from my mother.
wow it’s so exciting that you can find all this information…unfortunately, we don’t have such options here.
It really sounds good and interesting to me but tell me, I’m from India will it workfor me too? Can I find mine too?
It would be interesting to do this next time we visit our parents’ grave. I did notice a few around that were babies (a few months old to 5 years old) I guess we’d have to walk farther out and see what we can find out.
Quite enjoy strolling around cemeteries and trying to find the oldies gravestone, I’ll have to take note next time and do some research afterwards
i quite agree. i actually used to work at a cemetery in London, England. 🙂
This is not something that IO have ever done before. Very interesting thought to trace back for sure xx
for sure! and one benefit is that findagrave.com is free. you can also look up celebrities and see what their grave looks like if you’re so inclined.
That is a quite an interesting concept and I’ve never thought about this before.
what have you never had the chance to think of about before, Lyanna?
This was quite interesting. I am sure there are people who would find this quite handy.
Ashlee | ashleemoyo.com
i really hope so! thanks for stopping by!
This is fascinating. I have thought about doing this with my parents. And yes, the internet makes it so much easier.
so much easier w/ the internet. my mom did her search using microfish at the LDS center in Los Angeles. and by postal mail.
This post is really interesting. I love how you really dig up your ancestors with all these ways, even from your previous post. This series is amazing…
thanks so much!!! i really appreciate the encouragement. it’s been a fun venture.
This is so new. Have never heard about it. In Hindu culture, we don’t have graves. However, internet is such a huge boom!
internet is a HUGE boom, as you say. that is so interesting how things are in different cultures. No graves? Do you go somewhere to remember your ancestor with flowers or prayers?
I never thought there was a website for this. I mean it is incredible all you can find on the internet
is not it? i find something new every day almost.
I never had this chances, in my religious we have no such records as our dead are cremated.
how do you pay respects to the deceased in your religion?
This is a really neat idea. This sounds like an exciting way to explore your heritage, even if it could be hit or miss.
yes and it is FREE! 🙂
I have never done this before. I’ve always been interested in ancestry and discovering my roots – even if it’s just a couple of generations back. I’ll have to do this with my family.
i hope you enjoy the search, Brianne. It’s nice too that you can leave your respects digitally at ancestors’ graves on findagrave.com
We used to do this when I was a kid actually. My sister passed away a LONG time ago and when we would visit her grave, we would hunt around the graveyard looking for the people who died the longest ago.
thanks for sharing, GIGI! I remember similarly searching the cemetery near where my grandmother was buried when we’d come to visit.
Tombstones are certainly a huge archive. In my culture we have no such records as our dead are cremated.
Here from the A-Z. All the best for the challenge.
i am so interested in all the different traditions of different nationalities and religions. thanks for educating me, Nilanjana!