Genealogy Jottings

I am nearing the end of my cemetery marker project. Now I ask myself, was it worth the time it took away from my research? Was it helpful to anyone?

For myself, I can say I am glad I took the time to do this. Once I had a box of photos that I had to sift through every time I wanted to look at one. Now I have all the cemetery marker snapshots neatly arranged in an archival-quality album. I also have digital images of all these and more, both in a Picasa album and as exhibits in The Master Genealogist. It will be simple for me to maintain this system.

For the greater genealogical community, I have posted over 50 new photos on the FindAGrave site, http://www.findagrave.com. This free site contains memorials and family links for decedents worldwide. Memorials for many of my ancestors already existed, especially in heavily-researched states like Massachusetts. But I posted numerous photos and built pages for 50 or so residents of rural communities in Illinois, Missouri, and Montana.

I have just a few photos left to do. We have some people buried in Nevada, Virginia, and Wyoming. When I finish those, I will have time yet this year to process more of the information I gathered in Norway this summer. Too bad we found no family gravesites there. My cemetery marker database will remain all-American.