I have always had a passion for history (both family and otherwise) and research, so genealogy is a perfect fit for me. I believe each family generation has to have at least a few genealogists to carry on the work of previous generations. Find A Grave is such a great research tool. I like that it is crowd-sourced and that it promotes the pay-it-forward philosophy.

One suggestion I have is that before a member submits a photo request that they do as much research as possible about the gravesite and marker, especially the gravesite location and whether there is actually a marker at that site, and include it with their photo request. I realize that many of the smaller cemeteries don't have an office to call, but sometimes a call to the local historical or genealogical society will have listings of the gravesites in the cemeteries in their area. Larger cemeteries very frequently have an office where you can call and obtain the gravesite location. When reviewing the list of photo requests for a cemetery I plan to visit, I always first choose those requests where the requestor has either included the gravesite location within their request, or provided other information that will help me to more easily find the gravesite. Also having the requestor provide additional information such as what type of gravesite photo they are seeking, if different than the standard closeup and longshot, is also helpful.

Good luck to all on their genealogy journeys!

I have always had a passion for history (both family and otherwise) and research, so genealogy is a perfect fit for me. I believe each family generation has to have at least a few genealogists to carry on the work of previous generations. Find A Grave is such a great research tool. I like that it is crowd-sourced and that it promotes the pay-it-forward philosophy.

One suggestion I have is that before a member submits a photo request that they do as much research as possible about the gravesite and marker, especially the gravesite location and whether there is actually a marker at that site, and include it with their photo request. I realize that many of the smaller cemeteries don't have an office to call, but sometimes a call to the local historical or genealogical society will have listings of the gravesites in the cemeteries in their area. Larger cemeteries very frequently have an office where you can call and obtain the gravesite location. When reviewing the list of photo requests for a cemetery I plan to visit, I always first choose those requests where the requestor has either included the gravesite location within their request, or provided other information that will help me to more easily find the gravesite. Also having the requestor provide additional information such as what type of gravesite photo they are seeking, if different than the standard closeup and longshot, is also helpful.

Good luck to all on their genealogy journeys!