Almost a Year

I had committed to updating my online tree regularly from my main database in Family Historian,

Over the past year I have made my tree a priority.  I have been beavering away adding new cousins and finding BDM and Burial references for those already in my tree. FindaGrave has provided many clues that have assisted in finding these references. Each time I play around I promise that I will upload to my website - but that boring task isn't as much fun as the thrill of the hunt. 

Today's  discovery that the last upload was in December 2022 made me move.  I bit the bullet and can report that my website is up to date! It was so long since I had had carried out this task that I had forgotten the process and had to find my notes. It is a simple exercise that only took me 15 mins (including the finding instructions). 

If I want to connect with cousins I need to do this on a more regular basis. 

Latest Statistics - www.geniaus.net

600 Burials

I have been very quiet on the geneablogging scene lately as I have been concentrating on my personal research. 

Since I started researching 35 years ago many things have changed and many new indexes and resources have become available on the internet. My recent efforts have been directed towards killing off and burying the relatives in our family tree, I am slowly looking at those born prior to 1930 and seeking out their Birth, Death, Marriage and burial records.

I use the spreadsheet type view in Family Historian software that allows me to choose which fields I want to display and then sort them by name, date or other element. Viewing this shows me the gaps I need to fill

An excerpt from my database sorted by a surname (hidden) then a death date which shows the gaps 

To support this work I have many popular site tabs open on my menu bar. One of these is FindaGrave where I may have two or more tabs open.

In conjunction with this research I have been creating a Virtual Cemetery of our children's descendants on FindaGrave. When searching this site add extra details to family profiles and I try to link up family members. While on the site I add our biological relations to my cemetery. 

So why am I blogging about this today?

I have reached a milestone as I just managed to inter the 600th biological relation into my Virtual Cemetery. (I had intended celebrating at 500 but forgot.)

My Virtual Cemetery

I hope that some time in the future family members may find this useful. 

Seated at the Cemetery

On the last day of our recent holiday we had about 8 hours to explore Broome. We grabbed a little rental car and off we went.

Our Hot Wheels

Mr Geniaus encouraged me the visit some local cemeteries. I really didn't need any encouragement and we managed to visit three.

The first cemetery we visited was the Chinese cemetery which as well as having historic graves is still used today for current burials. We found a well-maintained, tidy cemetery with splashes of colour provided by those graves decorated with artificial flowers and other ornaments. 

I noticed something here that I haven't noticed in any other cemetery I have visited. There are seats placed at the foot of several of the graves, due to their placement I presume they are installed by the families of the deceased. I thought this was a wonderful idea for those I wish to visit, say a little prayer,  contemplate on past memories with their loved ones or have a chat with their ancestors. 

I wonder if they are placed on common property or if the families of the deceased resting in those graves pay a fee to place them there. Sadly in many of our crowded cemeteries it would not be possible to allow such fixtures to be added. 

While at the cemetery I took photos of several headstones which I am currently uploading to FindaGrave. I regret not taking more as when I checked on FG this morning there were only six memorials recorded and photographed. I have since more than doubled that number plus added some extra photos to the Cemetery page.

Do you often stray into cemeteries when on holiday?

Quipolly Cemetery

On one of our country drives last weekend we called in at the delightful St Chad's Anglican Church and Cemetery in Quipolly, NSW. 

While there I spent about half an hour snapping pictures of the site and headstones vowing to come back and finish the job on my next visit. I discovered that the cemetery now known as Quipolly Cemetery is still active being managed by the Liverpool Plains Council.

I had intended posting my images to FindaGrave as I didn't think anyone would have photographed that cemetery. Well I was wrong. Someone named Grace had already posted many headstone images to FindaGrave. I was able to add a few that showed the church and its sign. When we visited it had been raining so many of the headstones that are unclear in Grace's images were clearer in my images due to their recent wash. I have added a few of these and will continue to add those of mine that are easier to read. 

Here are a few of my snaps.

Paying it forward with travel photos

Many of our holidays are not geneajourneys but, because of my interest in dead people and cemeteries, I often take photos of cemeteries we pass. When we are cruising some of the organised tours on offer take us to historic cemeteries, I take many images including some headstone pictures during these visits.

Headstone in Broken Hill

I find these images so useful to illustrate my blog and social media posts but recently I have found another use for my pictures that may help other genies and researchers.

Monument in Old Drift Cemetery, Zambia 

Ever since a presentation by Marion Burk Wood at the last THE Genealogy Show event I have taken a renewed interest in FindaGrave. As my photo collection is indexed with lots of keywords I can easily access images of cemeteries and headstones using those terms. 

It has given me great pleasure to add to FindaGrave headstone images not related to my close family from cemeteries in Australia, France, Ireland, The Phillipines, UK, US and Zambia and I have yet more to add. Hopefully some of the relatives of these people will benefit from seeing images of their loved ones final resting places.

Headstone from Tyne Cot, Belgium

I've also been able to add general photos of several cemeteries to the Cemetery Entries on FindaGrave.

Perhaps you have been doing this already but I only recently thought of it. It's another way we genies can "Pay it Forward" for all the value we have received from the work of other volunteers.

Laying the bait at FindaGrave

In her presentation at the winter edition of THE Genealogy Show I was convinced by Marian Burk Wood to use FindaGrave as cousin bait.  I had mentioned FindaGrave as a source of cousin bait in my presentation at that event but I hadn't fully explored the opportunities it could provide to reel in cousins. I'm not going to spill the beans on what Marian said; you'll have to find her presentation somewhere or invite her to talk to your group.

Prior to this I had only dabbled in FindaGrave managing my parents' memorials and adding a few odd facts to other memorials. I had previously uploaded all grave photos to BillionGraves and not to FindaGrave; I have reviewed that practice. Depending on time constraints I usually take photos of some neighbouring headstones when visiting family plots.

Since being enlightened by Marian I am adding information and photographs to close relatives' profiles and adding profiles for those missing from the FindaGrave database. Thanks to Marian for her informative presentation and to those volunteers who have willingly handed over management of family memorials to me. 

I am not trying to build up a huge collection of memorials to manage; I have no time for that.  I just want to care for memorials of close family members especially those aunts and uncles with no issue.  

I will continue to add value to the memorials of cousins I encounter in my meandering on the site. I'm now leaving plenty of footprints for others to find.

I had fun linking up my Dad's parents and siblings