I am a family genealogist on the ever constant hunt for expanding my family tree. Although I have not been a member on Find a Grave for long, I have ghosted here for over 2 decades. Recently, I found a few reasons to join and contribute.

It is not my wish to step on anyone's toes, so if I tread a little too closely to yours, please do not take offense. My genealogical research has given me many reasons to look for the most accurate details as possible.

I am currently looking through memorials for several members of my extended family, and into connecting the individuals into their respective families.

I have located the first roll of 35 mm film I took at the Seeborg Cemetery in Jun 1998. I know there is another. Please be patient while I look for it. Between the two rolls, I took pictures of every grave located at John Seeborg's farm at that time. We had a very long discussion about our common genealogical research and how our families were connected that day.

A couple years ago, I did a thorough walk through of Oak Point Cemetery, grave stone by grave stone. I have found a number of duplications, and a few new graves which have not been added since the last person did a walk through. I have yet to locate the stone for "Twins Hamilton" and I know it was near the south fenceline not far from Della Hamilton's stone. I suspect it may be covered with muck and I will keep searching. I will return to update the graves in this cemetery periodically.

I hope to be assisting Grady Harris with cleaning the Higgins cemetery, as well as taking photos for upcoming memorials of the 4 graves that are there. This project was put on hold in 2022 due to family obligations. It is still my hope to get these 4 graves recorded if they are not already.

As of February 2024, I have begun requesting management of family memorials for individuals I knew and/or am fairly closely related to. I will not be offended if you do not or cannot transfer them to me when I ask. I do hope you understand why I ask.

~~~~~~~~~
Tips for taking photos of grave stones:
(While I put these tips here as a "note to self," feel free to try them out.)

1) An overcast day will be less likely to cast a shadow and details will stand out more.

2) For older faded stones, inscription details stand out more when the surface is wet. Either take on a damp day or bring a spritzer bottle with some water to the graveyard.

3) Even if there is some darkness, digital photography can still get a fairly bright picture if taken at the right angle. Adjust until you like what you see.

4) A straight-on angle with the stone taking up most of the picture is ideal for emphasizing inscriptions.

5) Older, less often maintained graveyards tend to gather moss, lichens and other debris on the stones. Plan ahead by having some rags and cleaning solution in your vehicle.

6) If the day does not provide you with the most ideal conditions, take the time to get the best possible photos.

7) Don't rush. It's better to return another day than have photos that don't turn out well.

8) If walking an entire cemetery or section of a cemetery to take many photos, follow the rows or groups, and make a note of where to start on the next trip.

9) When looking for graves without photos, having the cemetery memorials page up is helpful, and searching by last name limits the number of memorials displayed. It also helps for finding duplicate memorials from the same site.

I am a family genealogist on the ever constant hunt for expanding my family tree. Although I have not been a member on Find a Grave for long, I have ghosted here for over 2 decades. Recently, I found a few reasons to join and contribute.

It is not my wish to step on anyone's toes, so if I tread a little too closely to yours, please do not take offense. My genealogical research has given me many reasons to look for the most accurate details as possible.

I am currently looking through memorials for several members of my extended family, and into connecting the individuals into their respective families.

I have located the first roll of 35 mm film I took at the Seeborg Cemetery in Jun 1998. I know there is another. Please be patient while I look for it. Between the two rolls, I took pictures of every grave located at John Seeborg's farm at that time. We had a very long discussion about our common genealogical research and how our families were connected that day.

A couple years ago, I did a thorough walk through of Oak Point Cemetery, grave stone by grave stone. I have found a number of duplications, and a few new graves which have not been added since the last person did a walk through. I have yet to locate the stone for "Twins Hamilton" and I know it was near the south fenceline not far from Della Hamilton's stone. I suspect it may be covered with muck and I will keep searching. I will return to update the graves in this cemetery periodically.

I hope to be assisting Grady Harris with cleaning the Higgins cemetery, as well as taking photos for upcoming memorials of the 4 graves that are there. This project was put on hold in 2022 due to family obligations. It is still my hope to get these 4 graves recorded if they are not already.

As of February 2024, I have begun requesting management of family memorials for individuals I knew and/or am fairly closely related to. I will not be offended if you do not or cannot transfer them to me when I ask. I do hope you understand why I ask.

~~~~~~~~~
Tips for taking photos of grave stones:
(While I put these tips here as a "note to self," feel free to try them out.)

1) An overcast day will be less likely to cast a shadow and details will stand out more.

2) For older faded stones, inscription details stand out more when the surface is wet. Either take on a damp day or bring a spritzer bottle with some water to the graveyard.

3) Even if there is some darkness, digital photography can still get a fairly bright picture if taken at the right angle. Adjust until you like what you see.

4) A straight-on angle with the stone taking up most of the picture is ideal for emphasizing inscriptions.

5) Older, less often maintained graveyards tend to gather moss, lichens and other debris on the stones. Plan ahead by having some rags and cleaning solution in your vehicle.

6) If the day does not provide you with the most ideal conditions, take the time to get the best possible photos.

7) Don't rush. It's better to return another day than have photos that don't turn out well.

8) If walking an entire cemetery or section of a cemetery to take many photos, follow the rows or groups, and make a note of where to start on the next trip.

9) When looking for graves without photos, having the cemetery memorials page up is helpful, and searching by last name limits the number of memorials displayed. It also helps for finding duplicate memorials from the same site.