Instead of death certificates, obituaries, links to relatives, and other information in the “memorial” on FindAGrave, I would rather see links to adjacent stones or information on which stones are in close proximity to the stone for which the memorial was created.
That would be helpful and that would information that would be really lost when the stones are no longer extant.
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Not only that, but the information on adjacent stones can give valuable clues to possible relatives. And that’s one of the reasons I still buy cemetery books, and prefer them to FindAGrave.
This is a wonderful idea. I was thinking just the other day that I wished I knew which stones were near the one I found on Findagrave. A map with the stones identified would be so helpful. Of course, I have to admit I have never made one when I’ve been at the cemetery, though I try to take photos showing more than one stone.
This has been a personal frustration for some time. I was reminded of it again when I realized the remarried mother of a relative was buried next to him in Iowa–and not next to either husband. She was difficult to find given the time period, but she was buried right there next to her son. Both monuments are on FindAGrave. Had I known a woman with that first name (it’s not all that common) was buried right next to him…
What a great idea! I’ll start doing that on new memorials I create, where I know it. Of course, I won’t be able to do that for relative’s memorials for whom I have never visited their grave.
Are you going to start adding the links on the memorial you manage?
Yes. I so agree.
When I find “families” in a cemetery, I link them. At least a person can hop from one link to the next.
That’s a good idea as well. As you said, at least that way someone who finds one of them will be aware of the others.
I’ve gathered a lot of clues regarding related family via FindAGrave, it’s simpler to add the links between children and parents. BillionGraves gives you those geographic adjacencies, but only ties family together if matches are made to established trees in FamilySearch. I do find it helpful that in BillionGraves, when you search a cemetery for a last name, there is a “Family Plots” section that shows the GPS location of other persons with the same last name in the same cemetery.
Perhaps those who take photos could aim their cameras to the right and left in the row, at least.