By Judi McDowell
There are approximately 80 cemeteries in Rock Island County; some have been abandoned and some “family farm cemeteries” may never have been located, but there are still many that are active and well maintained. As the Cemetery chairperson, my goal is to add as many tombstone photos as possible to the popular internet sites of Find A Grave and BillionGraves. Both sites have their strengths. Find A Grave is owned by Ancestry and coordinates with the Ancestry website, but is still free for everyone to use. BillionGraves works with Family Search and adds GPS coordinates to each burial.
Summer is the perfect time to visit cemeteries and take photos. I encourage members to take photos to add to these websites and if you cannot take photos, there are also opportunities to help by transcribing photos taken by others. Give it a try yourself or if you would like to accompany me on a cemetery visit, email me and we can plan a trip.
I am also working on a list of Cemetery Sextons for each cemetery so that if you have questions about burials, I can provide a contact person and phone number.
