I have been a genealogist for the great majority of my life and am amazed by the power and richness of Find A Grave. It is an honor to contribute.

I manage Find A Grave accounts as a volunteer for several historical organizations. This account is reserved for my own blood relatives and their spouses, generally in North America. Some remarkable members created a number of these memorials and have graciously transferred them to my care. The contributors I have listed as "friends" have my special thanks for their volunteer work and their many kindnesses. I am simply in awe of Wayne Irons, Scott Balyer, Carol Foss, and Leigh Miller in particular.

My Find-A-Grave Philosophy

We are put on this planet to give of ourselves, as we can, to the people around us and the strangers we meet. In the interest of accuracy and fostering appreciation of our ancestors, we should share information with our kin and the public as much as possible. If our ultimate purpose is not to disseminate what we have learned, then we are just navel-gazing.

Acts of genealogical kindness always come back in kind--one way or another. It might not be direct or immediate; but I have found this "pay it forward" principle to be true time and again as a researcher.

Graves and the memory of our ancestors are sacred things, and foremost the responsibility of family. We are commanded to honor our mothers and fathers. And it is a blessing for ourselves, as well, when we help others to do this.

I welcome contact about any of my families, and hope the information I have posted is of help to you. I don't post my personal email address publicly. If you want to contact me, please leave a public message or join Find A Grave and send a message through the edit function at one of my memorials. I will respond as promptly as I can. I am always glad to meet new cousins, or reconnect with old ones.

Why Do I Ask About Possible Transfer?

Every day I send out multiple edit requests and links in order to improve the data in Find A Grave. (I have submitted nearly 9,150 accepted edits since the automatic edit function was implemented in late 2013.) If I can add substantial information to a memorial, I sometimes inquire as to whether its creator would consider transferring (if he/she is not related, of course). The reason I do this is simple: I have dedicated much of my life to promoting scholarship in genealogy and the use of archival sources. If someone submits an edit or a link to a memorial that I manage, I analyze the information and research the documentation before accepting it. Hopefully, unrelated persons managing memorials I am interested in will do the same. However, I know this is not always the case and, as a result, I find that incorrect edits and links are sometimes accepted by members.

Please do not take offense by my inquiring. I am always glad to contribute to others' memorials as well. Most likely, though, I will not contribute biographical notes if the person who maintains the memorial is unrelated and therefore unlikely to retain the source data. Generally, I do not submit vital dates/places unless the current information in the memorial is incorrect or insufficient.

My Virtual Cemeteries, etc.

You will see that I have built nearly 150 virtual cemeteries under this account. There are over 150 more at my sons' European Ancestors and Kim's Folks accounts, and my wife's Melanie account. I hope you will check them out--especially if you are descended from one of our ancestral families. They represent a lot of time and effort.

Regarding transfer, if you are more closely related to one of my ancestral aunts, uncles or cousins and your request is within Find A Grave guidelines, I will be glad to pass the memorial along to you if you will explain your connection.

If your request is outside Find A Grave guidelines (i.e., the person is not your close relative), I will be glad to consider transfer if you will explain your connection in detail and let me know how you will build out the memorial. Again, the memorials attached to this account are my own blood relatives or their spouses, with only a few exceptions. Linking children or getting children linked to your (our) relative, and sponsoring, are good indicators that you are committed to improving the data and caring for the memorial.

If you are a direct descendant of any of my ancestors, I will gladly add a link to your profile from that memorial noting that you are also a descendant--just ask. (Or add a flowers note explaining your connection.)

My Favorite Cemeteries

Some statistics as of December 2020--mainly to satisfy my own curiosity--regarding blood relatives and spouses in certain cemeteries (when over 100 graves)...

1,602 in Greenwood Cem., Trenton, NJ
1,246 in First Presbyterian Church Cem., Ewing, NJ
854 in Pennington Cem., Pennington, NJ
810 in Riverview Cem., Trenton, NJ
697 in First Baptist Church Cem., Hopewell, NJ
548 in Highland Cem., Hopewell, NJ
540 in Eglington Cem., Clarksboro, NJ
514 in Cedar Hill Cem., Hightstown, NJ
411 in Presbyterian Church Cem., Hamilton Square, NJ
381 in Lawrenceville Cem., Lawrenceville, NJ
380 in Harbourton Cem., Harbourton, NJ
339 in Baptist Church Cem., Hamilton Square, NJ
314 in Brainerd Cem., Cranbury, NJ
312 in Mercer Cem., Trenton, NJ
295 in Presbyterian Church Cem., Pennington, NJ
290 in Dutch Neck Cem., Princeton Junction, NJ
238 in Ewing Cem., Ewing, NJ
223 in Princeton Cem., Princeton, NJ
203 in Cedar Green Cem., Clayton, NJ
182 in West Laurel Hill Cem., Bala Cynwyd, PA
181 in Methodist Church Cem., Titusville, NJ
174 in Methodist Cem., Aura, NJ
172 in Presbyterian Churchyard, Titusville, NJ
164 in Lake Park Cem., Swedesboro, NJ
160 in Bethel Methodist Cem., Hurffville, NJ
129 in Laurel Hill Cem., Philadelphia, PA
129 in Friends Burial Ground, Woodstown, NJ
129 in Methodist Cem., Allentown, NJ
114 in Presbyterian Churchyard, Lawrenceville, NJ
109 in Presbyterian Church Cem., Allentown, NJ
105 in Manahath Cem., Glassboro, NJ
105 in Colonial Memorial Park, Trenton, NJ

Relatives for whom I have burial information: about 31,550.

Relatives identified in or added to Find A Grave to date: about 28,050.

What a wonderful resource Find A Grave is!

I have been a genealogist for the great majority of my life and am amazed by the power and richness of Find A Grave. It is an honor to contribute.

I manage Find A Grave accounts as a volunteer for several historical organizations. This account is reserved for my own blood relatives and their spouses, generally in North America. Some remarkable members created a number of these memorials and have graciously transferred them to my care. The contributors I have listed as "friends" have my special thanks for their volunteer work and their many kindnesses. I am simply in awe of Wayne Irons, Scott Balyer, Carol Foss, and Leigh Miller in particular.

My Find-A-Grave Philosophy

We are put on this planet to give of ourselves, as we can, to the people around us and the strangers we meet. In the interest of accuracy and fostering appreciation of our ancestors, we should share information with our kin and the public as much as possible. If our ultimate purpose is not to disseminate what we have learned, then we are just navel-gazing.

Acts of genealogical kindness always come back in kind--one way or another. It might not be direct or immediate; but I have found this "pay it forward" principle to be true time and again as a researcher.

Graves and the memory of our ancestors are sacred things, and foremost the responsibility of family. We are commanded to honor our mothers and fathers. And it is a blessing for ourselves, as well, when we help others to do this.

I welcome contact about any of my families, and hope the information I have posted is of help to you. I don't post my personal email address publicly. If you want to contact me, please leave a public message or join Find A Grave and send a message through the edit function at one of my memorials. I will respond as promptly as I can. I am always glad to meet new cousins, or reconnect with old ones.

Why Do I Ask About Possible Transfer?

Every day I send out multiple edit requests and links in order to improve the data in Find A Grave. (I have submitted nearly 9,150 accepted edits since the automatic edit function was implemented in late 2013.) If I can add substantial information to a memorial, I sometimes inquire as to whether its creator would consider transferring (if he/she is not related, of course). The reason I do this is simple: I have dedicated much of my life to promoting scholarship in genealogy and the use of archival sources. If someone submits an edit or a link to a memorial that I manage, I analyze the information and research the documentation before accepting it. Hopefully, unrelated persons managing memorials I am interested in will do the same. However, I know this is not always the case and, as a result, I find that incorrect edits and links are sometimes accepted by members.

Please do not take offense by my inquiring. I am always glad to contribute to others' memorials as well. Most likely, though, I will not contribute biographical notes if the person who maintains the memorial is unrelated and therefore unlikely to retain the source data. Generally, I do not submit vital dates/places unless the current information in the memorial is incorrect or insufficient.

My Virtual Cemeteries, etc.

You will see that I have built nearly 150 virtual cemeteries under this account. There are over 150 more at my sons' European Ancestors and Kim's Folks accounts, and my wife's Melanie account. I hope you will check them out--especially if you are descended from one of our ancestral families. They represent a lot of time and effort.

Regarding transfer, if you are more closely related to one of my ancestral aunts, uncles or cousins and your request is within Find A Grave guidelines, I will be glad to pass the memorial along to you if you will explain your connection.

If your request is outside Find A Grave guidelines (i.e., the person is not your close relative), I will be glad to consider transfer if you will explain your connection in detail and let me know how you will build out the memorial. Again, the memorials attached to this account are my own blood relatives or their spouses, with only a few exceptions. Linking children or getting children linked to your (our) relative, and sponsoring, are good indicators that you are committed to improving the data and caring for the memorial.

If you are a direct descendant of any of my ancestors, I will gladly add a link to your profile from that memorial noting that you are also a descendant--just ask. (Or add a flowers note explaining your connection.)

My Favorite Cemeteries

Some statistics as of December 2020--mainly to satisfy my own curiosity--regarding blood relatives and spouses in certain cemeteries (when over 100 graves)...

1,602 in Greenwood Cem., Trenton, NJ
1,246 in First Presbyterian Church Cem., Ewing, NJ
854 in Pennington Cem., Pennington, NJ
810 in Riverview Cem., Trenton, NJ
697 in First Baptist Church Cem., Hopewell, NJ
548 in Highland Cem., Hopewell, NJ
540 in Eglington Cem., Clarksboro, NJ
514 in Cedar Hill Cem., Hightstown, NJ
411 in Presbyterian Church Cem., Hamilton Square, NJ
381 in Lawrenceville Cem., Lawrenceville, NJ
380 in Harbourton Cem., Harbourton, NJ
339 in Baptist Church Cem., Hamilton Square, NJ
314 in Brainerd Cem., Cranbury, NJ
312 in Mercer Cem., Trenton, NJ
295 in Presbyterian Church Cem., Pennington, NJ
290 in Dutch Neck Cem., Princeton Junction, NJ
238 in Ewing Cem., Ewing, NJ
223 in Princeton Cem., Princeton, NJ
203 in Cedar Green Cem., Clayton, NJ
182 in West Laurel Hill Cem., Bala Cynwyd, PA
181 in Methodist Church Cem., Titusville, NJ
174 in Methodist Cem., Aura, NJ
172 in Presbyterian Churchyard, Titusville, NJ
164 in Lake Park Cem., Swedesboro, NJ
160 in Bethel Methodist Cem., Hurffville, NJ
129 in Laurel Hill Cem., Philadelphia, PA
129 in Friends Burial Ground, Woodstown, NJ
129 in Methodist Cem., Allentown, NJ
114 in Presbyterian Churchyard, Lawrenceville, NJ
109 in Presbyterian Church Cem., Allentown, NJ
105 in Manahath Cem., Glassboro, NJ
105 in Colonial Memorial Park, Trenton, NJ

Relatives for whom I have burial information: about 31,550.

Relatives identified in or added to Find A Grave to date: about 28,050.

What a wonderful resource Find A Grave is!