GRAVEMAPPERS IS SEEKING 50 VOLUNTEERS TO PARTICIPATE IN A MAPPING PROJECT TEST

Subject: Exciting Opportunity for the Grave Mappers

"At Grave Mappers, we are always looking for ways to help preserve small, obscure cemeteries and their vital records – and we are announcing a great opportunity to do just that!

Grave Mappers is honored to be asked to conduct a Test Mapping Project for Names in Stone, the cemetery maps website. (www.namesinstone.com) The Names in Stone team is continually working to make its site more user-friendly, especially for people who want to map cemeteries. To further this effort, they are planning a test project, which will allow users to have a mapping experience and then give input into how the website might be improved.

Grave Mappers is seeking 50 people to participate in this Test Mapping Project for Names in Stone. This is an exciting opportunity for you to test the website’s mapping capabilities, and to give feedback on how it worked for you.

If you would like to participate, you will be asked to map a cemetery that contains anywhere from one to 200 graves. The project will include three steps.

1. Collect all data at the cemetery, including photos of each headstone, headstone transcriptions, and a sketch with the location of the graves in relationship to each other. (You must map the entire cemetery, not just a portion of it – so choose a cemetery that fits within the criteria and that you will have time to complete.)

2. Create the cemetery map on the Names in Stone website; then add each individual grave to the map along with the headstone data and photo.

3. Fill out a post-mapping questionnaire that will detail your experience as you mapped your cemetery, giving input into what worked for you, and what improvements you would like to see.

All Test Mapping Projects must be completed by May 1, so that the cemeteries can be up and running on the site before Memorial Day. (If you need more time because of weather or other concerns, please let me know.)

If you are interested in participating, please send an email to gravemappers@gmail.com. Include your name, email address, and the city, state, province, or country where you live. You will be sent a confirmation email giving you specific instructions on conducting your mapping project.

This is a great opportunity to help in the preservation of the records of small cemeteries. We hope you will join us!"

Information courtesy of:

Thanks,
JoLyn Day
Grave Mappers

The James Cemetery Restoration Project - Jackson, Ohio

The Ohio Genealogical Society is not only a statewide genealogical society in of itself with its own headquarters and library, but it is comprised of member chapters from almost all of Ohio's 88 counties. Several O.G.S. Chapters have engaged in actively participating in their county's cemetery issues, whether by compiling and publishing tombstone transcription books, hands-on restoration of markers, or general clean-up of the grounds.

Anyone wishing to advance their cause and further their opportunities with cemetery preservation in Ohio should not only consult with the Ohio Genealogical Society itself via its website of http://www.ogs.org/, but, more specifically, the cemetery portion of this site:

http://www.ogs.org/cemeteries/index.php

Be sure to check out the website of the county chapter for your area of interest to learn if there are cemetery preservation activities going on there. Contact them with questions or for assistance. The support and involvement of residents and local governments where your "cemetery of concern" is situated are vital resources if you are to succeed with your planned improvement goals !

One example of O.G.S. Chapter participation is highlighted here with the focus on the advancements made with the restoration of the James Cemetery Restoration Project conducted by the Jackson County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society.

The information offered on this site is detailed with photographs coloring in the visual of this success story.

Joseph T. Limes stone - Staunton Methodist Church Cemetery - Staunton, Fayette County, Ohio

The tombstone for Joseph T. Limes is the most prominent stone in the Staunton cemetery. It has a tall white marble statue of a bugler on top. The inscription reads: "Tis music charms the soul to live in hearts we leave behind is not to die. A sunbeam from the world has vanished."

He died March 2, 1886, age 28 years, unmarried in Concord Township, Fayette County, Ohio. His parents were Harmon Limes and Eliza A./Elizabeth Rowe.

An inventory of his estate indicated he was a musician of note around Staunton, Concord Township, where he lived. He is buried at Staunton Cemetery with parents.