I can’t remember how or why I stumbled across Find A Grave. But according to my profile I’ve been a member for over 12 years. I’ve added over 13,000 memorials. I’ve added over 8,000 images. Plus, I’ve added over 44,000 flowers & notes. I’ve added cemeteries too but there’s no mention of them. I can’t tell you how many corrections I’ve suggested – both for cemeteries & memorials. That’s something else they don’t keep track of yet
Here’s what you need to know. They are more grave location site than they are memorial site & they’re not at all a genealogical site. In other words, they frown upon unknown burials. They don’t mind memorials for people who weren’t buried. But they frown upon unknown burials.
I can’t speak for other countries…but as far as the USA goes most all city & town cemeteries have been added to Find A Grave. So it’s really important to use their search feature before adding anything be it a cemetery or a memorial. You should also search for memorials within the cemetery you’re considering adding in case somebody named it wrong.
I’ve named a cemetery wrong myself. I named it after the only sign I saw in the cemetery. Then I found out the sign was just noting a family’s plot within. The cemetery was actually named after the nearest church. You can’t fix names or delete cemeteries yourself even if you add them. You have to join their forums where they’ve got a special board for cemetery fixes & you have to post within it.
Here’s what you need to know about the memorials. They are memorials. More importantly they’re free to create. You’re not being charged at all much less for every letter & number. So, add all the names – first, nickname, middle, maiden & last. Add the full dates. Add the birth & death locations. If they were buried – add them to a cemetery plus add the plot info. You can add a stone inscription or gravesite details. Add a bio or obit. Link to parents & spouse(s). And upload pics of them &/or their headstone.
I’m tired of seeing people do what they want. They’re adding multiple names to the last name field making memorials worthless as far as the search feature goes. For example, my mom was married & divorced 3 times. If she went through life using all those names with a hyphen between them & that’s what’s on her headstone – that’s the only way you can add them to the last name field. But she didn’t. She used the last name of her current husband. Her last husband’s name is what’s on her headstone so that’s what’s on her memorial. It was the name she was last known by so it’s the name people would search for. If I added all those names with a hyphen between them those searching for her wouldn’t find her. So instead, I’ve simply explained in the bio/obit section that she was married multiple times & linked to her deceased husbands.
Then we’ve got people using the bio/obit section to store census info. Worse than that, we’ve got people suggesting corrections expecting me to use the bio/obit section to store census info. I think it looks tacky so I’m not going to do it. The most I’ll add to a bio/obit section, other than a bio or an obit, is s/o or d/o, h/o or w/o & f/o or m/o. And that’s only if I can’t find the parents or spouse(s) to link to. You can’t link people to their children. You have to go to the children & link them to their parents.
For everything else I highly suggest you read their FAQs & help articles. There are some rules. There’s a reason for them. If you don’t follow them you can be banned. So, in my opinion, you should probably know what they are.
