Contents
What information can I include in a non-famous bio?
Does the biography need to include all the married surnames?
What information do I include from a headstone?
What information do I include in the inscription field?
How do I include information about symbols or emblems on the headstone?
What information do I include in the cemetery plot # field?
What are gravesite details?
What information can I include in a non-famous bio?
Genealogical data:
Genealogical information about the subject can be included in the biography.
Personal information:
The focus of a biography is memorializing the individual’s life with preference to an originally written biography. We ask that those who index and memorialize the deceased from newspapers and other third-party accounts do so with full respect of copyright, refrain from adding information about living people (e.g. survivors) to protect their privacy, and respond generously to the family of the deceased.
If a cause of death is included, it is to be short and to the point, such as shown on a death certificate. Please don’t include graphic death details or name a perpetrator.
It's simple to link to another Find a Grave memorial from the biography. When editing the bio field, add the text that will display (this is often the individual's name) and then highlight it. Select the link symbol in the editor and add the URL for the memorial in the field provided, clicking save. Scroll down and select Save Changes. For step-by-step instructions go to Create or Send a Hyperlink.
Other simple tools such as bold, italics, and creating lists can help when you need to enhance the readability of bios as you update them.
These standards will be added to and updated from time to time. Find a Grave reserves the right to edit any biography submitted to the site to conform to these and any future posted standards, our Community Guidelines and Terms and Conditions.
Learn more about Famous Biography Standards.
Does the biography need to include all the married surnames?
We encourage members to share genealogical information. The biography can, but does not necessarily need to, include all the married surnames for the individual.
What information do I include from a headstone?
Include all of the information on the headstone, or all information known, in the appropriate fields of the memorial form. Information on the headstone includes inscriptions. If there is a known mistake on the headstone, add the correction in the specific field and then explain on the memorial. If a headstone is not readable at all and you have plot information and a photo for the marker, add the memorial as Last Name: Unknown. Do not use other terms unless they identify the person. Acceptable terms, that can be placed in the first name field, include but are not limited to: Child, Twin, Infant, Adult, Male, Female. You can learn more at Naming Memorials.
What information do I include in the inscription field?
The inscription field should only include information that is on the grave marker, but you can add any information from the headstone to the inscription field. Inscription is most often used for things like a quote, poem, marriage information or other details on the stone. Typically the other information such as name, birth and death dates are added into the fields on the memorial. But, there are also times when adding the full inscription, including names and dates that have already been added to those fields will help add clarity to the inscription field or capture an error on the stone that has been corrected in one of the fields. We encourage the addition of the inscription to the inscription field as the inscription from the stone is then accessible for all site users.
How do I include information about symbols or emblems on the headstone?
A symbol or emblem is part of the inscription as it is located on the headstone. Describe or specify any symbols or emblems in the inscription field. The significance or meaning of a symbol or emblem can be included in the gravesite details or the biography.
What information do I include in the cemetery plot # field?
Every cemetery has graves arranged in different ways. The cemetery plot # will identify that grave location in that particular cemetery. If you don't know the cemetery plot #, then leave the field empty until it is known.
What are gravesite details?
These are details specific to the grave marker or site. Some examples of details like this are description, condition, history, significance of symbols, that the grave is unmarked, or known mistakes on the marker. Additional grave marker options include Cenotaph and Monument Information.
Learn more:
Naming Memorials