In the foreseeable future, sites like Find A Grave will play an even bigger role than they already do in regards to Family Research. Physical graves become illegible, crumble, disintegrate, become targets of senseless vandalism and sadly disappear forever, especially the very old ones. The information they display is vital for family historians like myself, but more importantly reflect the life of a person who once lived.
Online cemeteries will become the only accurate reflection of their lives and the source of important information for family and researchers alike. This is why the work we do on Find A Grave is so important. Working as a team towards a common goal of respectfully and accurately recording and reflecting the details of people's lives and reuniting them with family who can 'tend' their graves as if they were visiting a physical cemetery.

Thank you to:

The 'Memorial Creators', who take the time to load the memorials and make it easier for family members to find loved ones. Those who reunite memorials with family who request management (irrelevant of what level of relative they are), so they can then 'tend' their loved one's online grave by adding additional information to reflect their true life, without constantly having to request permission to do so from a non-family member. (I know there is a rule about what level of family can have a memorial transferred to them, but my question would be why would you want to withhold a memorial from a family member if you are not a relative?)

The 'Photographers', who physically venture out and roam the cemeteries to get that requested photo, sometimes fighting through long seedy grass, rainy weather, walking along each row of large cemeteries for hours with the most basic of information as a guide. Yes, I have done this and I Thank You so much for your invaluable help with the cemeteries I cannot visit. To those who go the extra mile by ensuring the wording can be read by finding a different angle for the camera or placing respectful items on unmarked graves before photographing, you are invaluable.

The 'Additional Information Advisors', who take the time to send valuable extra data or amendments to existing information to Managers of Memorials, to assess and add where necessary, play another vital role in establishing accurate and resourceful data for online cemeteries. This is also where family members being Managers of Memorials is vital as they will better know if data is accurate.

The 'Family Historians', who strive for an accurate retelling of their family stories and take pride in 'tending their loved one's online graves'. I take my hat off to you. I understand the hardships you endure and can only say this... Thank you for taking up the challenge on behalf of your family and please, never give up.

*'It's not a perfect world and things do pop up that challenge you.'*

I will never understand the Memorial Manager's that refuse to transfer memorials to family members when they themselves have no family connection to them. Even if the requester is outside of the criteria that the 'rule' states for level of family relationship, why would you not want to transfer to family? Also, what happens to the memorials of people who lived hundreds of years ago? There would be no family alive who would fit the criteria to claim them. If we stick to the rule, those memorials will never be reunited with family who can 'tend' their online grave. This saddens me. Yes, we can send data to the Manager to approve, but why should we have to. It's OUR family. (Sorry, Find A Grave but this rule makes no sense).

Thanks for reading this. I have spoken to some lovely and helpful people through Find A Grave and I value working in your team into the future, creating a vital resource that will be needed for the generations to come.

Regards Sharon.

In the foreseeable future, sites like Find A Grave will play an even bigger role than they already do in regards to Family Research. Physical graves become illegible, crumble, disintegrate, become targets of senseless vandalism and sadly disappear forever, especially the very old ones. The information they display is vital for family historians like myself, but more importantly reflect the life of a person who once lived.
Online cemeteries will become the only accurate reflection of their lives and the source of important information for family and researchers alike. This is why the work we do on Find A Grave is so important. Working as a team towards a common goal of respectfully and accurately recording and reflecting the details of people's lives and reuniting them with family who can 'tend' their graves as if they were visiting a physical cemetery.

Thank you to:

The 'Memorial Creators', who take the time to load the memorials and make it easier for family members to find loved ones. Those who reunite memorials with family who request management (irrelevant of what level of relative they are), so they can then 'tend' their loved one's online grave by adding additional information to reflect their true life, without constantly having to request permission to do so from a non-family member. (I know there is a rule about what level of family can have a memorial transferred to them, but my question would be why would you want to withhold a memorial from a family member if you are not a relative?)

The 'Photographers', who physically venture out and roam the cemeteries to get that requested photo, sometimes fighting through long seedy grass, rainy weather, walking along each row of large cemeteries for hours with the most basic of information as a guide. Yes, I have done this and I Thank You so much for your invaluable help with the cemeteries I cannot visit. To those who go the extra mile by ensuring the wording can be read by finding a different angle for the camera or placing respectful items on unmarked graves before photographing, you are invaluable.

The 'Additional Information Advisors', who take the time to send valuable extra data or amendments to existing information to Managers of Memorials, to assess and add where necessary, play another vital role in establishing accurate and resourceful data for online cemeteries. This is also where family members being Managers of Memorials is vital as they will better know if data is accurate.

The 'Family Historians', who strive for an accurate retelling of their family stories and take pride in 'tending their loved one's online graves'. I take my hat off to you. I understand the hardships you endure and can only say this... Thank you for taking up the challenge on behalf of your family and please, never give up.

*'It's not a perfect world and things do pop up that challenge you.'*

I will never understand the Memorial Manager's that refuse to transfer memorials to family members when they themselves have no family connection to them. Even if the requester is outside of the criteria that the 'rule' states for level of family relationship, why would you not want to transfer to family? Also, what happens to the memorials of people who lived hundreds of years ago? There would be no family alive who would fit the criteria to claim them. If we stick to the rule, those memorials will never be reunited with family who can 'tend' their online grave. This saddens me. Yes, we can send data to the Manager to approve, but why should we have to. It's OUR family. (Sorry, Find A Grave but this rule makes no sense).

Thanks for reading this. I have spoken to some lovely and helpful people through Find A Grave and I value working in your team into the future, creating a vital resource that will be needed for the generations to come.

Regards Sharon.