Contents
Can I organize a group to take photos at a local cemetery?
Group Projects
Can I organize a group to take photos at a local cemetery?
Yes. We encourage members to contact the cemetery for permission.
Group Projects
A new adventure awaits! Thanks for planning this group visit to a cemetery. The genealogical work you are doing now will have a large impact for generations to come.
· Gather a group of friends
· Download the Find a Grave app for iOS or Android
· Search for the cemetery on Find a Grave
· Check out tips and best practices
Gather a group of friends
Your group could be friends, family, a local society, service group, or religious group. Really it can be anyone who is willing and able to visit the cemetery and take quality photos of headstones.
Download the Find a Grave app for iOS or Android
If you or your group has access to an iPhone, iPad, or Android Phone, you can download the Find a Grave app and easily see a map of cemeteries in the area. This would be a good place to start to find candidates for cemeteries to work in. Currently, we don't have a great way to tell which cemeteries are completely photographed and which ones are not. We count photos and memorials per cemetery, but that is only as submitted to Find a Grave.
Search for the cemetery on Find a Grave
It might be best to use the map to find some candidate cemeteries, and then call the front office. Try and find out how many graves there are, and that should give you an indication of whether they have been largely photographed or not on Find a Grave. You should also let them know of your plans, and make sure it's okay. Some private cemeteries may not want this project, most municipal cemeteries are fine, but it's really case by case. You may also search for cemeteries using our website here.
Tips and Best Practices
Check out these links from our News site:
Cemetery Guide, Find a Grave Headstone Photography, GPS on Find a Grave
Transcribe/Upload Headstone Photos
As far as technique, that is up to you to determine in terms of planning the project. We can make the following recommendations for making the most impact efficiently, but anything will be helpful. We have a bulk upload process called Transcribe. Learn more at Transcribe Basics. A person can generally take 150 to 300 photos an hour, so this can be pretty efficient. Our suggestion would be for each of the volunteers to go out with their iPhones or Android phones (with GPS enabled for the device) and take as many photos as they can in an orderly manner. Be sure to check the app settings beforehand as there is an option to Upload Photos over Wi-Fi only.
Login on the Find a Grave app and upload the photos through Upload Headstone Photos on the cemetery page. Alternatively, upload them through the cemetery page on the website. You can transcribe them into or onto existing memorials or wait seven days for help from the community. Once all the photos are uploaded and memorials are created, you can see on the account profile page a tally of the results.
Cheers and good luck, thanks for joining us. Our combined mission of preserving these memorials is important and we are glad you’re considering this project with us. Please feel free to contact us with questions.