Find A Grave is an incredible resource offered for free. All of the information on the site is pulled together by an extraordinary group of volunteers around the world. With Find A Grave recently surpassing 100,000,000 photos on the site we are reminded of the dedication of the volunteers. But even with their strong determination, they can’t do it alone.
I worked with a gentleman in Virginia last year that grew up 5 miles from the headstone of his Civil War ancestor. He never knew it. The graveyard was a small family one found at the top of a hill, the road overgrown with branches and weeds was near invisible from the road. It took three days to track down the person who knew 1) that the stone existed 2) where it was and 3) how to get there. As he knelt down by his ancestor’s final resting place, it was apparent that the Civil War hero, and several other family members, were almost lost forever. I’m grateful that he was able to snap a few pictures and upload them to Find A Grave so that other members of the family can reconnect as well.
100 million photos is amazing, but it also reminds us that we have some work left to do. On October 18th we are organizing a Community Day. A day to pull together people from all walks of life to a common purpose of helping the gravesites of our fellow brethren be remembered. We all have gravesite stories that touch us deeply. The internet has allowed us all to have those moments without having to leaves our homes.
For more information on how to participate in the Find A Grave Community Day, visit http://blogs.ancestry.com/
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