Focusing on "Find A Grave's" Frequently Asked Questions & Thanking All Photo Volunteers!

Part of this post is to briefly focus on "Find A Grave's" Frequently Asked Questions. 

"Find A Grave" currently has 70 million grave records.  We know that the number is somewhat misleading as there are duplicates and errors posted in these numbers.  

"Find A Grave" is a massive site.  Due to its ever growing size, I feel contributors are waiting longer these days for the administrators to answer emails and make revisions that we request. 

I think it is a good idea to review the topics in the "FAQ's" routinely to keep curent with the changes to better understand them and know how they impact us. 

On a brighter note, my faith in "Find A Grave" has been restored this week thanks to the kindness of two photo volunteers who took photographs of gravestones and posted them soon after I submitted my requests. 

I wish to personally thank everyone who has ever taken a volunteer gravestone photograph.  The photograph brings so much joy to the requester and volunteer alike.  

Posting a gravestone photograph on a memorial that previously had none produces a win-win result for everyone.  Because of that photograph, we have more assurance the memory of our friends and loved ones will be properly honored and their lives will not be lost to history.  

Sharing a message from Ralph Lowell Coleman, Jr. regarding "Find A Grave"

Ralph Lowell Coleman, Jr. wishes to inform others about his decisions regarding posting further memorials on the website "Find A Grave." I am sharing his message here.  

Ralph's biography and contact information on his "Find A Grave"profile page can be accessed by clicking on the title above. 

(a view of part of the Spain Cemetery above adjacent to the Maple Grove Cemetery in Rush Township, Champaign County, Ohio)

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"I am no longer personally creating memorials for "Find A Grave." I've never been concerned about the number of memorials I could create...only about those I could accurately create and manage.  I will continue to maintain the memorials which I have created in the past, and to provide assistance to those in need.

I have taken more than 7000 photos of the markers in Maple Grove Cemetery, North Lewisburg, Ohio (about 4700 burials), and Woodstock Cemetery, Woodstock, Ohio (about 1600 burials), and will be happy to provide photos to anyone who is creating memorials on "Find A Grave" for individuals buried in either of these two cemeteries, OR anyone who requests photographs through the "Find A Grave" process. Contact me for assistance if you have a loved one, friend or associate buried in either of these two cemeteries.

There are a great many volunteers on "Find A Grave" who create vast numbers of memorials using only obituary notices. Often, many months or even years go by before photos of the grave markers are added - if ever - to these memorials. I personally believe that every memorial should have a photo of the gravesite marker, if one is available. And, this action should be as soon as possible after the posting of the memorial, regardless of who posts the photo. The gravesite marker sometimes draws attention to error(s) in the memorial text, and vice versa.

Some "Find A Grave" volunteers do not want any gravesite photos attached to their memorials unless they provide their own. Why then does "Find A Grave" have a feature for requesting photos of gravesites and attaching them to memorial pages? I don't believe maintenance implies ownership, unless the creator of the memorial is paying for the memorial to the exclusion of "Find A Grave's" advertising.

I have OFFICIALLY worked with the Board of Trustees of Maple Grove Cemetery and Woodstock Cemetery, Rush Township, Champaign County, Ohio, to officially photograph the cemeteries and transcribe the official records of the cemeteries.

I can thus assist with information regarding individuals buried in these two cemeteries, or photographs of the gravesite markers. 

I have the most extensive databases, created from transcribed original cemetery records, funeral home records, obituaries, and other sources. Even if a name which you are researching does not appear on the "Find A Grave" pages for these two cemeteries (Maple Grove Cemetery and Woodstock Cemetery) I can probably provide you with the available information.  Don't hesitate to ask.

Incidentally, in 2012, the entire databases and photographs for Maple Grove Cemetery and Woodstock Cemetery, Rush Township, Champaign County, Ohio, will be published on the Internet for access by and use of family history researchers. Watch for advance notice of the publication date here."

Ralph can be contacted at:

Ralph Lowell Coleman, Jr. 

1536 Robins Circle

Ogden, Utah 84404

ralph.l.coleman.jr@gmail.com

Update on Dean Cemetery in South Salem, Ross County, Ohio on "Find A Grave"

Scott Andersen has posted more gravestone photographs on "Find A Grave"  that he took during his September, 2011 trip to the Dean Cemetery.  Click on title here to view them. 

There are currently 26 interments posted for the Dean Cemetery on "Find A Grave." 

Expressing thanks again to Scott and his wife, Venus, for all of their hard work at the Dean Cemetery, and for documenting so many of the markers there before they either disappear or become completely unreadable.