Join the Cemeterist Project - Preserving Our Ancestors' Legacy

Question

Cemeteries are among the most valuable of historic resources. They can serve as reminders of various settlement patterns, or they can reveal information about historic events, religions, lifestyles, and most importantly, our genealogy. Unfortunately, these cemeteries do not necessarily remain permanent reminders of our ancestors and past since they are subject to long-term deterioration, neglect, development activities and construction projects, and even vandalism and theft.

Do you have a passion for photography? Help us capture the beauty and history of cemeteries worldwide.

If you're skilled in indexing and want to contribute to preserving genealogical data, we welcome your expertise. Help digitize and transcribe cemetery photos for future generations.

We're excited to announce the upcoming creation of a new challenge team in 2024! Have any ideas on a team name? Would you participate with us? Let us know below!

2024 Cemetery Challenges are being scheduled now! We will kick off the new year with a month long Photographer's Challenge from Jan 1 to Jan 31. And if photography is not your style, we have you covered! Join us on 7-day journeys of Sourcing, Connecting, and Collecting challenges.

For more details, or to stay up to date on future challenges, see the 2024 Cemetery Challenge Calendar.

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Ready to get started? Click on the "Answer this post" button when responding, and let us know in which geographical area you would like to work in.

Thank you for joining the Cemeterist Project on this journey!

Comments

I am interested in helping. I am in Collin County, Texas, and there are many historic cemeteries in my area.

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Hi Jessica, we're happy that you would like to join us.  Please click on the dark green "Answer this post" button and post your answer there.  Then I can get back to you with more information.  Thank you!

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Here is today’s article of an ongoing series I have done on cemeteries in The Apopka Voice, Florida. It has an international readership but is based in Orange County abutting Lake and Seminole counties in Central Florida. 

https://theapopkavoice.com/stories/apopka-watches-over-its-fallen-heroes-with-the-eyes-of-a-hawk,73729

Each time I write I include the Wikitree links about the souls, sometimes the editor includes the links and sometimes he doesn’t. If I embed them, he usually does. 

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Very nice. Thanks for sharing.

Answer 1

I'm interested in helping! A lot of the cemeteries in my area don't have WikiTree categories yet, so I've been trying to add categories, then backtrack and add at least a few profiles. I'm not a photographer, but I can source, connect, and collect!

ETA: I'm in the Southern Appalachians (GA, SC, NC, TN).

Comments

Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

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Thank you!

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I'm interested in cemeteries. I love looking and walking through them

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Hi, Dawn! I had just put an "answer" in before seeing yours. Sounds like we are in the same area, or near enough. I haven't been able to keep up with WikiTree as much as I'd like lately, but am always ready to take photos! I'm so terrible at keeping up, I hadn't even realized they had this project going. Wouldn't it be funny if we met up one day in a cemetery?

Answer 2

Have created FG memorials for family members for years and fulfil FG photo requests. Want to see how my WikiTree and FG efforts might to combined or shared. Located in Oviedo, FL, area; visit the Puerto Rico National Cemetery once a twice a year to visit family and fulfil FG photo requests.

I see that there are at least 3 local cemeteries that are not currently on the WikiTree Cemetery Map. Would be happy to add once I learn how.

Thanks,

Bo

Comments

Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Answer 3

Already part of this project but just wanted to say I am super excited to hear about the challenges starting again. I would totally be interested in being on a team hmm names, I’m trying to think of a good pun one but it is harder than I thought.

 Grave-ly serious about genealogy

Cemetery enthusiasts

Discoverers of the R.I.P.

Comments

Thanks, Kristen for your enthusiasm and your ideas.  Watch for more to come.

Answer 4

I live in Southern Illinois near Carbondale.  I’ve taken a lot of photos for Find-a-Grave and would love to help!

Comments

Hi Stephanie!  I live in Southern Illinois as well, near Harrisburg.  A frustration I have found in trying to photograph graves is that there is no indication in the cemetery of where the plot exists.  Some old church records are so hard to locate as well.  Perhaps sometime, we might put our heads together and make some end roads?

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Try your local historical society.  They may have old church records or even cemetery plat books. Our funeral homes have several as well. I too live in southern Illinois—Lawrence County.  Our Historical Society is cleaning, resetting, and repairing tombstones and preparing profiles for those who lie beneath the stones.

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Thank you so much!

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Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

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Sounds like fun!  I know sometimes you can Google to get plot info.  Found an online book for St Bruno Cemetery in Pinckneyville that has plot info through 1935. It’s interesting to read.

Answer 5

I usually volunteer my photographs of gravestones for findagrave.com or billiongraves.com.  Next year I will be doing my local area of Hull.

I'm not sure how i can input these photographs onto wikitree, i dont use the site regularly but if there is any people here with Hull ancestors that need graves finding, let me know.  I try to fill out requests on findagrave when i can.

Jennifer

Comments

Hello Jennifer,

We're glad that you're interested in joining us in the Cemeterist Project. Please look for a private message from me. Thanks!

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Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Answer 6

Southern Illinois

Comments

Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Answer 7

I would love to be part of this project. I love taking photographs of gravestones and have many already in my files that could be uploaded. I am in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania and live around the historic Moravian district.

Comments

Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Answer 8

I'm already a member and would love to help out with any challenges. I am on Find A Grave as well.

Pinal County, Arizona.

Comments

Thanks, Laura! Watch for more information soon.

Answer 9

Most of my an activity is in the Saline County, Missouri area.

I now live in Kansas City, Clay County, Missouri.

My current project is searching connections for an abandoned Cemetery in Fairville, Saline, MO. I also have connections in Lafayette and Pettis in Mo.

My earlier ancestors were in Culpeper and Madison, VA; and in Perry, Alabama.

Comments

Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Answer 10

Hi

I would like to join this group.  I live on Gabriola Island in British Columbia,  Canada and would like to work on the Pioneer Cemetery here by taking pictures. I've got some time now so I can help.

Thanks

Terri

Comments

Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

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Answer 11

I am interested in learning more about this project and helping with photography and possibly transcribing. I live in Austin, Texas, USA, and help my parents take care of a rural cemetery in the western part of the state where my ancestors are buried. I have photos of this cemetery already that I can hopefully connect to profiles. I'm new to WikiTree but this project interests me and will let me learn more.

Comments

Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Answer 12

Hello, I am interested in helping!  I live in Punta Gorda Florida on the southwest coast.  let me know how I can be of assistance. Della

Comments

Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

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Hello, I need some assistance please.  I have photographed many headstones from Lt. Carl Bailey Cemetary Punta Gorda, FL.  I just started adding profiles. I would very much like for someone to check the profile to make sure I am doing it correctly. Please check profile: Henry-19266  

Thank you! Della

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Please look for a private message from me. Thank you.

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Robin, I have added quite a few veterans in the  [[Category:Lieutenant Carl Bailey Cemetery, Cleveland, Florida]] 

Can someone give them some love by enhancing their bio's and adding stickers to their profile for the correct war? 

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Hi Della,

In order to make your request more generally known among WikiTreers, I would suggest you create a separate G2G question stating basically what you have said above. Be sure and tag your question with at least the Cemeteries tag, but you might also add 'profiles', 'Florida', and 'volunteers', and any other tag you think is appropriate. That way more WTers will see your request.

Thanks for all your work on the Lieutentant Carl Bailey Cemetery.

Answer 13

I can’t imagine too many other Wikitree cemetery supporters in my area so I would love to help out.  Please sign me up.

Location is Alberta, Canada

Comments

Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Answer 14

Hi team, 

I am interested in joining this group for all four activites. I live in Mackay, Queensland, Australia.

I currently volunteer on Find A Grave for photographs and some basic bio edits. And I have a Free Space Project that is aimed at memorialising all those that were aboard [[Space:The_Steam_Yacht_Aurora_1876_-_1917|The Steam Yacht Aurora 1876 - 1917]] at some point in their lives.

I don't know what indexing is, or rather what it means in terms of cemtery data, but I'm willing to learn.

Have a great rest of the holidays and a safe new year, Gaz.

Comments

Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Answer 15

I am interested in joining.  Could try my hand at indexing, with training.  

Also have a suggestion for a team name, how about Rememberists?

Comments

Hello K.  We're glad that you would like to join us. Please look for a private message from me.

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Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Answer 16

Hello,

I am interested in this project and am located in Massachusetts. I can occasionally be of local assistance in Maine as well.

Comments

Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Answer 17

I have taken hundreds of photos for my tree and Find A Grave. I have a lot from PA and WV.  Would love to make this my first project since joining Wikitree.  

Thanks,

Sharon

Comments

Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Answer 18

I am in Honolulu and would like to participate but unsure how to go about this. Searching Cemeterists for more information but if anyone can reach out with helpful hints, it would be appreciated!

Comments

Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Answer 19

Hello I am interested in helping out. In joy taking photos of gravestones and would possibly be able to transcribe records, and connect . I live in the NE corner of Connecticut.

Comments

Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Answer 20

I live in Portland, Ct right on the Connecticut river. I have ancestors from Windsor, Hartford, Springfield among many others. I am willing to go to cemeteries up and down the river. I can do photography or a limited amount of indexing.

Comments

Welcome to the Cemeterist Project! 

We have added you to the membership roster for the location you are working on.  From this roster you will be able to easily find other members who are working in the same geographical area as you. 

You can also review the Getting Started Guide to learn more about what other project members are doing. 

If you have any questions, please let us know.