These are just some random thoughts, in no particular order.
I understand why people post photographs of deceased individuals to FindAGrave. At least I think it is to preserve the photographs on a site that will theoretically remain free forever.
What I wish was encouraged was the inclusion of photographs showing stones in context as sometimes there are clues in the position of stones. Pictures with multiple stones included could assist in preserving information regarding the relative position of the stones. Ultra precise GPS information would give the same information, but sometimes a picture is much easier to visualize.
Transcriptions are not always legible in pictures such as these, but there’s clues in position. There are some cemeteries where proximity to adjacent burials does not really provide much in the way of clues as strangers are buried next to each other. However there are cemeteries where knowledge of who are the permanent neighbors are helpful.
FindAGrave currently allows the linking to other family members on the “Memorial Page.” It’s too bad there’s not some way to “geographically” link as well–although I realize that is more problematic for a variety of reasons.
At the very least, I’m going to revisit my FindAGrave submissions and include broader area cemetery shots as well.
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And sometimes vandals or weather , grave collapse, or just time cause stones to topple , break, (even have missing pieces!) so a good clear (and transcribed) picture of it intact can be most valuable to have.
We have a relative or two that thier best guess in location is from thier neighbors!
One memorial manager in PA regularly does this. I noticed a stone near my 2nd GrGrandfather’s that turned out to be for his adoptive foster parents from 1850! Yes, it would be nice if more of this happened. Maybe when we run out of graves to initially input… 🙂
We found out about my husband’s grandmother’s first family by seeing the gravestones of her two children buried next to her. This is something I have wanted for a long time. We can see who else was buried with the same last name but not who was close. How wonderful to find that a mothers parents were buried next to her. That would be a great clue as to her surname.
Is there any website or something that shows an actual map of a cemetery with the names on each of the stones? That certainly would be useful, although an awful lot of work if it’s not already available somewhere.
I saw that kind of sign at a small cemetery in Kansas…everyone buried there was listed in a
“position picture” of the cemetery. We could stand there at the gate, scan the display, find the person we were there to ‘visit’, and go straight to it. It certainly made a hot, dry Kansas day go better.