Take A Virtual Cemetery Walk

Now that you’ve gathered some information from your family and home sources, and checked for more details online, perhaps it’s time for your daily walk.  Why not take a virtual walk round the cemetery of your choice?  Here’s what to do:

1. Click on FindaGrave.com 
2. Click on the ‘Cemeteries’ tab.
3. Using the ‘Cemetery Location’ box, search for the area where your forebears lived, or if you already know the name of the cemetery, use that search function. 
4. Once you’ve selected a graveyard, click on the link giving the number of memorials that have been recorded in it.
5. Listed alphabetically by surname are names copied from gravestones in this cemetery.
6. More information is available by clicking on the name of an individual.  This may include a photograph of the memorial and names of family members also listed on it.
7. If you’re interested in finding more graves for this family, a list of places is given, starting with this cemetery, and then widening to include the same town, county, and country.  Clicking on one of those will let you search further afield for more relatives.
8. Or, continue through this graveyard and browse the rest of the headstones.
9. The site is free to sign up for, and once you do so, you can add entries and upload photographs to the site. You’ll also be able to leave a virtual floral tribute on a memorial’s listing, and a note too if you wish. This can be a good way of connecting with new cousins! 

Top tip: If you’ve had trouble deciphering a headstone, check if somebody has uploaded a clearer photograph of it to this or a similar website, such as BillionGraves.