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  1. Find a Grave Q&A

    1. Ask the Community

      • Ask the Community "How do I?" questions about the Find a Grave website.
      • Open to both member questions and member answers. 
      • Review the Help section for answers to the most common questions. 
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      • SteamClock
      • By SteamClock,

    2. Support Center   (3,186 visits to this link)

      What can we help you with?

    3. Report Site Issue

      • Report possible software bugs or issues affecting the website.
      • Review Bugs before posting here.
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  2. Corrections, Challenges, and Statistics

    1. Cemetery Corrections

      Cemetery Corrections and Updates

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      • Garda
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    2. Member Challenges

      Member Challenge Questions

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      • Mark
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    3. Site Statistics and Updates

      Various Site Statistics and Updates

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  3. Social Discussion

    1. Fallen Gravers

      Remembering Find a Grave Members who have passed away.

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      • DSH
      • By DSH,

    2. Famous Graves

      Discuss all aspects of visiting and researching the graves of notable people.

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      • MyJohnHenry
      • By MyJohnHenry,

    3. In the News

      Cemeteries in the News....

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      • chrispadgett
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    4. Mourning, Grief, and Emotional Support

      Discuss the loss of loved ones and lend support to others who have experienced the same.

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    5. Success Stories

      50,000 people a day are searching Find a Grave! Share your success story here.

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      • RosalieAnn
      • By RosalieAnn,

  4. Military Discussion

    1. American Civil War

      150+ years later, it is still an enormously popular topic of discussion. Post your civil war graves, questions, and information. Blue or Gray? Johnny Reb or Billy Yank?

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      • Georgia Gentleman
      • By Georgia Gentleman,

    2. World War I

      First World War, The Great War, and the War to End All Wars

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      • duke220
      • By duke220,

    3. World War II

      Second World War

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      • Alicelth
      • By Alicelth,

    4. Other Wars and Conflicts

      Discussions concerning other wars and conflicts

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      • RosalieAnn
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  5. Cemetery and Research

    1. Cemetery Preservation

      General issues and techniques involved with cemetery preservation. 

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      • Mary Clarkson Turek
      • By Mary Clarkson Turek,

    2. Research Resources

      General research issues not related to a specific surname or location. 

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      • David Leonard
      • By David Leonard,

    3. Surnames

      Research issues related to a specific surname. If you start a new thread, please be sure to include the surname in the thread title!

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      • KevinBaase
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    4. Translation Assistance

      Use this forum for translation assistance. 

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    5. United States

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    6. Africa

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    7. Asia

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    8. Europe

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    9. North America

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    10. Oceania

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      • EvieLilley
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    11. South America

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      • Steven M
      • By Steven M,

  6. Find a Grave Archives

    1. Classic Ask the Community

      • Community posts for the classic Find a Grave site which was retired on November 7, 2017.
      • Content here is considered out of date
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      • Horizon
      • By Horizon,

    2. Classic Ask Support

      • Support posts for the classic Find a Grave site which was retired on November 7, 2017.
      • Content here is considered out of date
      2k
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      • Find a Grave
      • By Find a Grave,

    3. Ask Support

      • Ask Support on the Forums was retired on August 26, 2020.
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      • Find a Grave
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  • Our picks

    • Unmapped Cemeteries By US County January 2021

      Unmapped Cemeteries By US County January 2021

      Mark posted a blog entry in Find a Grave,

      Unmapped Cemeteries broken out by County. 5-color level.
      This means that the cemetery listed does not have GPS assigned to it. This has nothing to do with % of cemetery photographed or mapped memorials.
      How does your county look?
       
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      Mark

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      Mark,
    • In Memoriam 2020

      In Memoriam 2020

      Find a Grave posted a blog entry in Find a Grave,

      In Memoriam 2020
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      Find a Grave

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      Find a Grave,
    • Photo Request Updates

      Photo Request Updates

      Mark posted a blog entry in Find a Grave,

      Photo Request Updates
       
      We often hear about photo requests that are out of date or no longer valid.  In some cases a grave photo has been added to the memorial, but the request was not fulfilled or closed.  In other cases, someone has reported a problem with the request, but the request just hangs around.  These can be a frustration for those of you who want to go out and help with the requests.  
       
      We still have some work to do but we recently rolled some changes that we hope will help.  These include:
      not showing photo requests with problems in the list unless you choose to see them adding the option to remove a problem report you’ve added to a request making it easier to select an “Other Location” to see open photo requests in looking for photos that may fulfill or have fulfilled requests but didn’t close the request   
      We also made some changes to how you request photos to try to avoid adding more problem requests in the future.  These include checking to see if the memorial already includes a photo marked as a grave photo and if there is any plot information on the memorial and letting the requestor know about those problems if they are there.
       
      We have also begun “expiring” requests that are over 2 years old that haven’t been fulfilled.  We’ll keep a record of them, but they won’t appear in the list of requests any more.
       
      We hope these changes will make it easier for those people who are willing to volunteer their time and will make it more likely that photo requests will be fulfilled.
       
      If you have any other suggestions for improving the photo request process, please send them to us at feedback@findagrave.com.
        • Confused
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      • 35 replies
      Mark

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      Mark,
    • It’s the Holiday Season

      It’s the Holiday Season

      Find a Grave posted a blog entry in Find a Grave,

      The holiday season is a time of hope, joy, remembrance and staying connected with those we love. When our loved ones have passed on, we can still connect to their memory by thinking about them, learning more about their lives and visiting their gravesites. People around the world share in traditions to honor and remember family and loved ones during the holidays.
       
      In Finland, many families visit the cemetery to remember family members by lighting a candle at their grave on Christmas Eve. Snow covers the ground, the cemetery is enveloped in darkness and in the cold the candles are lit, one by one. Peace and reverence is felt as people are together in the cemetery with one purpose. It’s uplifting, serene and a beautiful way to begin the evening activities.
      Laying a wreath at the grave is a well-known holiday tradition and a way to pay tribute and honor family members. Since Ancient times, the wreath has represented victory of the eternal spirit over death. Some find comfort in placing a grave blanket over the grave before the first snow storm. This is symbolic to provide warmth and love through the winter. A grave blanket is made of evergreen bows formed over a frame and decorated with winter adornments. We can share in the holidays, honor and remember family members by going to the cemetery, decorating the grave with holiday decor and sharing stories about those family members. Here are some photos showing that love.
      • 0 replies
      Find a Grave

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      Find a Grave,
    • Photo request changes

      Photo request changes

      Mark posted a blog entry in Find a Grave,

      Photo request changes:   Show/hide problems reported on photo requests lists. The apps have been doing this for about 6 months, but Transcribed photos will now fulfill photo requests when there is an open photo request. When a memorial has a grave photo and a member tries to request another one, they will get a message in the request a photo process that says, “This memorial already has a grave photo. Please indicate why you think it needs another”. If there isn’t plot information on the memorial when a member requests a photo, then this message is given: "There is no plot information for this memorial. Your photo request is more likely to be fulfilled if you contact the cemetery to get the plot information and include it with your request." Reported problems now have reported by Member and reported on Date. The member who added the reported problem can remove their reported problem, but the photo request will remain. You can click on the red “reported problem” in the photo request list and then click on the Trash can for that specific reported problem. Added an option to report a problem without claiming the request. When a member adds a grave photo, we now check to see if there is an open photo request. If there is one we ask the uploader if the photo they are uploading will fulfill that photo request. If they say yes, we fulfill it when the photo is uploaded. On the Open Photo Requests list it was changed- "Show Requests By:" to "Show Requests For:".   For options in that drop down, it was updated to: Cemetery
      Contributor
      Current Location
      Home Location
      Other Location (an overlay opens (a modified version of the map/gps overlay)).
       On the Requests I've Claimed tab, the date I claimed the request under the "Claimed" link has been added, since the claims only last for 14 days.
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      Mark

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      Mark,
    • Find a Grave Volunteer of the Month

      Find a Grave Volunteer of the Month

      Find a Grave posted a blog entry in Find a Grave,

      Find a Grave Volunteer of the Month
      Congratulations to Finches our featured Volunteer of the Month for November, 2020! We’d like to recognize Finches for her volunteer work in Scotland. So many of the headstones that she photographed are upright and in beautiful settings, such as this wondrous grouping on the hill in Old Beath Cemetery.
      William Stein We were first drawn to Finches work when we saw the care that she put into documenting headstones, even when reading the inscriptions was very difficult to access, as see here with the memorials for William Williamson and Thomas Veitch. She’s angled the camera just right, to be able to get the best reading possible for these stones that have fallen.
      Finches has contributed over 50,000 photos over the nine years that she has been a volunteer. While looking through the headstones photographed in her account we found one from 1636 for Thomas Younger, and maybe that’s not the oldest one! Thank you for recording this information!
      Her profile biography shares one of the reasons she photographs headstones. This gives her a chance to pay it forward as a thank you to those that have helped her.
       
      “It is very satisfying to record a headstone while it’s still standing and readable. I’ve seen so many broken, fallen or so badly weather worn they are unreadable.” – Finches
       
      She’s also come across headstones that have become unstable due to the passage of time. This cemetery added a warning to help visitors know which headstones to steer clear of. Even with these challenges she continues to try and help others, photographing and uploading headstone photos.
       
      Due to her fine work and also other members who contribute from Scotland, we can catch sight of, enjoy and learn from the unique headstones and scenic landscapes located there. Here’s a few, photographed by Finches, that we’ve gathered together.
      • 0 replies
      Find a Grave

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      Find a Grave,
    • Site Updates

      Site Updates

      Mark posted a blog entry in Find a Grave,

      Recent Updates
       
      Search Changes.  The last name used to be an exact only match, whereas the first and middle could be partial.  The default now is for all names, including last name to be partial with the results weighted to show exact matches first. (Relevance)  A search option has been added to do an exact name search, which will apply to all name fields.  In cases where an exact name search and partial name search is desired, wildcards can be used for partial with the exact name option selected.  The default sort option when a name is provided is by search relevance.  Members still have the ability to sort results alphabetically from the sort options. Update to the Prefix field. Now allows for text entry. One other thing we recently launched and are monitoring is the transcription count.  This count is now updated in near real-time for all connected browsers.
       
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      Mark

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      Mark,
    • The Merry Cemetery

      The Merry Cemetery

      Find a Grave posted a blog entry in Find a Grave,

      The blue crosses that adorn the graves in Cimitrul Vesel are there because of one man’s vision, Stan Ioan Patras. Cimitrul Vesel, which translates as Merry Cemetery, lies behind the Church of the Assumption and has put Sapanta, Romania on the map, it being one of the most popular tourist attractions in Romania.
      Photo Credit J.L.Cobb
      Stan Ioan started carving wood crosses in the 1930’s and continued until his death in 1977. During that time he carved and painted several hundred blue crosses for those who had passed in his village. The approach was that through artistry and stories he could bring a smile to those who visited and also share the lives of those who lived in the village, thus the Merry Cemetery. Each cross is unique and beautifully painted with brilliant colors, predominantly blue symbolizing heaven and freedom, and include a themed painting and poem that discloses a little something about the life and character of the deceased. Some of the poems and paintings are a bit whimsical, many depict occupations, traits or life events and some even tell of lives that were tragically cut short, stating the illness or accident. When someone in the village died the family would come to Stan and ask him to create a blue cross. He would decide how to sculpt it, what the painting would portray and the verse for the poem that was always written in first person narrative.
       
      As Stan got older, space was reserved in the cemetery and he created his own blue cross, painting and poem and was buried here when that time came. Here is the translation:
      “Ever since I was a little boy
      Stan Ioan Patras was my name
      Listen to me, my good people
      Because I will tell no lie
      For as long as I lived
      I never wished anyone harm,
      Only good, as much as I could
      No matter for whom
      Oh this poor old world of mine
      Living through it was so hard”
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      Find a Grave

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      Find a Grave,
    • iOS App Updated

      iOS App Updated

      Mark posted a blog entry in Find a Grave,

      Version 1.10.3  of the iOS Find a Grave app has been released.  
       
      - Crash and bug fixes
      • 0 replies
      Mark

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      Mark,
    • Unmapped Cemeteries By Country October 2020

      Unmapped Cemeteries By Country October 2020

      Mark posted a blog entry in Find a Grave,

      Unmapped Cemeteries broken out by Country. 5-color level.
      This means that the cemeteries listed for that country do not have GPS assigned to them.
      How does your country look?
      • 0 replies
      Mark

      Picked By

      Mark,
    • Android App Updated

      Android App Updated

      Mark posted a blog entry in Find a Grave,

      Version 2.8.4 of the Android app has been released. 
       
      Layout bug fixes for devices with smaller screens.
      • 0 replies
      Mark

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      Mark,
    • Unmapped Cemeteries By US County October 2020

      Unmapped Cemeteries By US County October 2020

      Mark posted a blog entry in Find a Grave,

      Unmapped Cemeteries broken out by County. 5-color level.
      This means that the cemetery listed does not have GPS assigned to it. This has nothing to do with % of cemetery photographed or mapped memorials.
      How does your county look?
       
        • Thanks
      • 0 replies
      Mark

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      Mark,
    • Why Change?

      Why Change?

      Find a Grave posted a question in Ask Support,

      Thanks for all your responses to our post about the upcoming changes to the site. We have been reading them and really appreciate your feedback and support. Paul, one of our developers, wrote up this note that goes into a bit more detail than that first message, for those of you who are interested.
       
      As one of the Find A Grave developers I thought you might appreciate it if I were to write a post explaining our reasoning behind changing the site, as well as some things to expect going forward. Find A Grave was created by Jim Tipton in the 1990’s to pursue his passion of visiting the graves of famous people. Find A Grave has always been free, and will continue to be a free website supported by ads.
       
      Since then Find A Grave has seen amazing growth, and has thrived thanks to the contributions of users like you. But the classic version of the website is starting to show its age. The code is written in technologies that are no longer supported and that inherently contain security vulnerabilities. Features were added to the site in a piecemeal fashion that makes it very difficult for us to maintain the old codebase while at the same time upgrading all the underlying infrastructure. 
       
      One of the most noticeable changes with the new version is the user interface. We needed to make the site mobile friendly. The reason the layout has changed so much is largely due to this requirement. We understand that a change this significant can be hard. It’s not easy to learn a new interface, especially when the previous interface has been around for 20 years. But we feel like this layout will be much easier for new users to learn. And we hope that our old users will take the time to learn how to use it. We will include many tutorial videos explaining how the new interface works in order to help users who are struggling with the changes.
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