Contents
Memorial Search
Why can't I find the person I'm looking for?
How do I sort a list of memorials?
How do I print a list of memorials without thumbnail photos?
Memorial Search
You can search for memorials from the homepage or from the Memorials section.
Fill in the relevant fields to search for a memorial. Search the site before adding a memorial to make sure it hasn’t already been added. The Memorial Search will search all names in the last name field.
Search Tips
-
Use the
?or*wildcards in name fields.?replaces one letter.*represents zero to many letters. E.g. Sorens?n or Wil* - Search for an exact birth/death year or select a range, before or after.
-
Select "More search options" to:
- Search for a memorial or contributor by ID.
- Include the name of a spouse, parent, child or sibling in your search.
- Select Exact name search to search only the names typed in the field or Similar name spellings to catch alternate spellings and broaden your search. By default Memorial Search will list exact results first and then include other results that include your search terms.
- Add a cemetery location to narrow your search results.
- Add bio keywords to search the bio field on memorials. Keep in mind when adding keywords to the bio field, your search results will only include memorials that have those search terms in the bio field. Learn more at Searching the bio field using keywords.
- Narrow the results to famous, sponsored, cenotaphs, monuments, veteran, Non-Cemetery Burials and/or memorials with or without grave photos, with or without GPS, with Flowers, and with or without plot information.
- Memorial Search will automatically search for any surname in the surname field. To search in addition for maiden name, select Maiden name in the advanced search. When sorted by Relevance, the memorials with the maiden name you searched for will show up first in the list.
- Search the Plot field by adding your search terms. Select 'Plot info' to browse memorials with plot information.
Why can't I find the person I'm looking for?
It is possible your search is too narrow. Broaden your search by removing things like a middle name or burial location. If you still can't find the individual, it's possible the person is not yet memorialized on Find a Grave and in that case you may create a memorial for them. See the Add Memorials page for more information.
How do I sort a list of memorials?
You can sort a list by clicking on the dropdown menu at the upper right corner of the list, as seen here.
How do I print a list of memorials without thumbnail photos?
Once you have search results and a list of memorials to print, select the ‘Condensed List’ view, as seen here. Print the list from your browser settings.
The ‘Default List’ is expanded and includes a thumbnail image on the left-hand side.
Learn more about searching for cemeteries and memorials here.