Find A Grave Tutorial

Correcting A Cemetery

2009-08-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

If you add a cemetery...you can edit some things like the address & a description...but you can't edit the name. If you didn't add a cemetery...you can't edit anything.

I just had cemetery I wanted to change the name on & another one that I didn't add that I wanted to add an address & description to. I sent to emails but they didn't respond to either one.

But then I visited their forum to learn there's a thread for corrections there. Now I went there & made a post about these cemeteries & both were edited almost instantly. Thanks. :)

When you go to a site & try to use it always remember they almost always have help files, FAQ's, a help blog or a help forum. Sometimes they have all of them. ;)

Transferring A Memorial

2009-08-28T12:38:00.000-07:00

This is per Find A Grave’s FAQ’s:

How do I get a relative’s memorial transferred to me?

Please contact the Find A Grave member who created the memorial via the “Suggest a Correction” link on the memorial in question with your request to have the memorial transferred to you. Also include in your request your unique Contributor ID # which is displayed to the right of your member name on your profile page.

Transfer requests should be for direct relatives within four generations, this would be your siblings, parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Bulk surname requests should not be made. Be advised that memorials listed as famous or maintained by Find A Grave will not be transferred.
You may also use the “suggest correction” feature to submit corrections, an original biography, and family links to memorials that do not fall under the above definition.

For members that receive requests, you can now honor those requests on the memorial page itself. Located in the upper right corner is the ‘Transfer Ownership” link. Follow the link and type in the Contributor ID # to whom you want the memorial transferred.

This action is PERMANENT and can not be undone. Your name will remain on the memorial as the original contributor, but you will no longer be able to edit bio, dates, etc.

What if a member will not transfer my relative to me?

If the memorial in question is a direct relative (within four generations) to you, and the original submitter is not family, then your wishes supersede theirs under our “Family First” policy. If they refuse to transfer your relative to you, contact the administration and we will work on it for you.

This is the most important stuff (for a volunteer) but not everything. After you register & join spend some time looking around. Most everything is self-explanatory. But if you have any questions they have both a FAQ’s & also a forum.

Cemeteries & The Memorials Within

2009-08-28T12:24:00.001-07:00

Now we’ll move on to cemeteries & the memorials within…which is the whole point of Find A Grave.

This is the profile of a cemetery.

If it’s a cemetery you work in often…you can add it to your cemeteries. Then under contributor tools…"my cemeteries"…you can click on edit to view & edit them.

Otherwise you can view all the memorials within, add a new person, submit a spreadsheet, add pics & if there’s enough people within…search for a surname. I work in another cemetery that only has 52 people so far so there’s no search box there.

If you click on “view all interments” you’ll see this:

The names are in alphabetical order. If you click on one of the names you can view the memorial. There are icons next to the names telling you what’s within. The icon that looks like a picture means their pic’s been posted. The icon that looks like a headstone means a pic of a headstone’s been posted. A yellow star means the person was famous. The icon that looks like a flower means people have posted virtual flowers on the memorial. And the red heart means somebody’s sponsoring (paying for) the memorial.

On the upper right the box says “honoring”. If you post a pic of your loved one & sponsor the memorial their pic can appear there. I imagine you simply request that it be so…but I haven’t tried it yet to tell you.

At the top & bottom of the page is a link to move on to the next page. Depending on the memorials added…there can be several pages.

If you click on a name…first notice the menu changes a bit:

If you’re the manager of a memorial…this is what it’ll look like:

If you click the fairly white “edit” tab you’ll see this:

If you click on the “edit” link in between transfer ownership & delete you’ll see this:

Or you can go from the top to the bottom clicking “edit” next to each & every thing.

Remember I said when you’re adding people there’s no box for a nickname? You have to go back to the memorial & edit the memorial for the box to appear? Here’s an example of that:

Another major thing is adding family links:

At the bottom of a memorial is their Find A Grave Memorial Number. You need that number to put here. You can add parents & spouses. Notice there is no spot to add kids. If you want to note kids on a parent’s memorial you have to go to the kids & add the parents. Then when you go to the parent’s memorial you can see their parents, their spouses & their kids. And this is regardless of what cemetery they’re in. They can all be in different cemeteries yet still be linked together.

You can edit their name, dates, places of birth & death, add/edit a bio or obit, add/edit family links, add/edit a headstone inscription, add/edit a note, edit the cemetery they were buried in, add/edit plot info, edit their virtual cemetery info (if you’ve created a virtual cemetery to add them to), note who created the memorial & get their memorial # to add to family links.

The other major things are photos & flowers/notes. If somebody posted a pic of the cemetery gate on the cemetery that pic will automatically appear on every memorial within. You can choose to take it off your memorial or leave it. You can add pics of living people. You can add pics of headstones. And you can decide which order they appear in. But you only get 5 free pic uploads. After 5 somebody must sponor the memorial.

If you click on the photos tab you’ll see thumbnails of all the photos & be able to click on them to see the pics enlarged. You can also delete photos or add more.

If you don’t have a photo of their headstone & would like one you can do a photo request. Volunteers who live near the cemetery will go there to get a pic for you. Please be sure to thank them for their (free) work.

If you click on the flowers tab you can add flowers or other virtual gifts & a note. There is no edit so if you mess up & want to delete your gift to re-add it you have to click on the gift. Then you’ll see an option to delete it, add it to your scrapbook (contributor tools) or report it.

If you’re not the manager of a memorial…this is what it’ll look like:

If you click the fairly white “edit” tab you’ll see this:

Otherwise you can edit their virtual cemetery & add them to one of yours, post a pic, or post flowers/a note. You have to be a member to edit their virtual cemetery or post a pic…but not to post flowers/a note.

Volunteer Profiles & Contributor Tools

2009-08-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

I want to finish up with your account then I’ll get back to cemeteries & the memorials within. Your username appears in 2 areas…on the index page after you first login & also within this menu.

If you click on it you’ll be able to visit your user profile.

There’s your bio & links. There’s your contributions. People can search the memorials you’ve added. There’s your virtual cemeteries, friends & any messages people leave for you.

From the above menu you can also see contributor tools. Click on it & you get:

It’s all fairly self-explanatory. And if you need help it’s here.

The only thing I wondered about was virtual cemeteries. Basically…you can create your own cemeteries & add people within. So I create one for every surname I come across.

I don’t know if there’s a La Force/LeForce/LeFors cemetery in the real world but there is in the virtual one & all my family’s memorials are tucked within. Same thing for the Jones’, the Hendersons’, etc. It’s simply an easier way to organize your memorials so the family that visits your profile can find them.

The Home Page

2009-08-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

From the home or index page you should see:

I deleted their headstone so you could see there’s 3 main links you need to pay attention to. Before you add a cemetery you should search & make sure it’s not already there.

Also before you add a memorial you should search & make sure it’s not already there.

If the cemetery isn’t there you can add it. If the memorial isn’t there you can add it. To add a cemetery you’d have to add a person to put into that cemetery. When you click on “add burial records” you’ll see this:

The one I use most is Family & Friend (top left). When you click on that you’ll see:

Notice that from here there is no box for nickname. But after you save this & go back to edit, a box for a nickname will appear. This is just basically enough to get you going & get this memorial entered.

You can state whether this person was famous or not. You can also choose their burial method. If you click on “cemetery burial” then in step 2 you pick the cemetery. If you click on “other” then in step 2 you state exactly what you mean (ashes scattered, body donated, etc.).

We had some roaming pioneers & a couple of them died in route & were buried on the side of the road. We also had some Cherokee Indians sent to OK on the Trail of Tears who died in route & were buried on the side of the road. In cases like this, where the burial is unknown, you can also pick unknown.

If the cemetery they were buried in is there then you’ll be able to check the circle next to it & save which will add them to it. If it’s not there then a link will appear giving you the opportunity to add it.

Registering & Logging In

2009-08-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

You can create memorials @ Find A Grave for anybody including pets.

First you have to register. Once you click on this link you’ll see this:

Fill in the blanks & when you’re done click “send my info”.

I can’t remember if they do email verifications or not. They send you an email & you’re supposed to follow a link within it. But then you should be registered.

Then you can login. Once you click on this link you’ll see this:

The email & password you gave them above is what you enter here. Once you login you’ll be taken to their home page. But now you should see your username in the upper right hand corner. If you were to click on it you could visit your personal profile.