I am so grateful for the volunteers who post pictures to Find A Grave and Billion Graves. It is such a selfless act and when I can’t see a grave in person I am thrilled when I find ancestor’s grave on one of these sites.
I have a tendency to want to see sources (or a scanned image in the case of documents) with my own eyes when I add them to my family tree. With Find A Grave, seeing a picture is often a terrific substitute.
Recently when doing some research on the McEuen family (part of my Adams line) I was puzzled to see reference to a death date of 1929 on Find A Grave for Ellsworth McEuen (b. 1863), the brother of my great great grandmother, Henrietta Clay McEuen Adams. In my Reunion software, I had his death year as 1928. So I checked the source I’d associated with that 1928 date and it included a personal viewing of his gravestone. When I looked at my photo, I saw that it indeed said 1928.
The Find A Grave photo was less well lit and harder to make out. The wonderful volunteer who took the photo and uploaded the information, Anita Austill, interpreted it as 1929.
Looking at her photo, you can see why:
On my visit to that cemetery (the Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery in Sacramento, Kentucky) two years ago, I was fortunate to have great lighting when taking a picture of that same gravestone. The 1928 date is crystal clear. (Click on the photos to see larger versions).
I’m not criticizing the volunteers who contribute these photos. I know that this gravestone was one of many that the photographer took and uploaded, whereas I was focused on my family members. But it does motivate me to take cemetery trips–which I enjoy!–even though photos are often available online.
Ditto everything you said…gratitude, better done in person, lighting issues (great example!), etc….and sometimes there’s a bush or something in the way, something that could SO easily have been trimmed for the sake of the photo, LOL!
Thanks, Hazel! Good point about the trimming of errant foliage!
Janine, it’s funny that you mentioned going to the cemetery to see the grave/headstone in person. I have a trip planned this fall to Texas to see family. I live in Georgia. I’ve been debating on if I should to go or not to the cemeteries in Louisiana and Texas even though the information is on Find-a Grave. After reading your article, I have decided definitely to go to the cemeteries!
Yay, Robin! So glad to help. I hope you have a wonderful trip. I think going to cemeteries creates lasting connections with our ancestors. One thing I did on my cemetery trip was take pictures of grave markers with family surnames, even if I didn’t know how the individual fit in. That’s helped a lot as my research has progressed. I wish I’d taken more!
I also agree about going to the cemetery if you can. Find a grave does not always have every grave photographed in a cemetery. By visiting you may find graves nearby that could be family members or close relatives.
Great point, Vickie! Thanks for commenting.
I’m a photo volunteer for FAG. I try to fill other people’s requests. I use my Nikon and I’m always looking for the best angle to view the text clearly. However, it’s not always a great day for photographing a particular marker – could be the angle of the sun, could be too bright, too dark, raining, misty – you name it. And that’s just the weather. The marker could be half buried, obscured by shrubbery, eroded, covered in lichen, or worst of all, vandalized. I do my best to clear the markers before shooting but even the best camera can’t work miracles. All of this is when you can find the marker..! My best tip: give as much information as you can with regards location when making requests for photos. I’ve literally walked kilometres in some old cemeteries, going up and down the rows methodically, and sometimes still unable to find the markers requested.
So, I have been adding cemetery visits to “trips home” for the past year. I always take at least 6 shots: one of each side of the marker, one of the cemetery itself, one of the general vicinity. If there’s a cemetery map, I take 3 or 4 of it (whole map, plus detail shots). Digital photography has made photos nearly costless and I’d rather have too many than find when I get home that I should have taken one more. 🙂
Thank you so much for your volunteering!!! Please do not think this blog post is in any way a criticism of the wonderful folks who volunteer for Find A Grave. I so appreciate what you do
And thank you for the tips! The whole genealogy community appreciates your efforts.
Oh… no worries at all. I’m not offended in the slightest. This is just my perspective after 14? 15? trips to cemeteries. My first shots were TERRIBLE. I really didn’t know what I was doing. Now I look like a sherpa, with my Nikon, iPhone (for GPS coordinates), laptop (for the list of requests), notebook, umbrella (good for rain AND for taking the glare off markers in bright sunlight), bucket, brush, and small shears. I get real pleasure in helping the genealogy community, which I find to be welcoming and generous with its knowledge and time. BTW – thanks for this blog! I am a organizational maven but I’m always looking for new tips and I so appreciate someone else’s perspective.
I’m glad I didn’t offend! Thank you again for your great work and for sharing your equipment list! I’m glide you find the blog helpful.