Are you wondering where great grandpa is buried? Do you have relatives buried in cemeteries that you’d like to visit, but can’t because they’re too far away? Would you like to give back to the genealogical community, but you don’t have a lot of time? The website Billion Graves may be the answer to all of these questions.
Billion Graves (http://billiongraves.com) is similar to the more well-known Find a Grave website, but it does have a few features that Find a Grave lacks. Both websites post pictures of tombstones, but the most important difference is Billion Graves includes GPS coordinates for each headstone. This means it will be easy to find the headstone you’re looking for using your smartphone with the GPS app or a GPS device.
Billion Graves is a free website, but like Find a Grave, always welcomes new volunteers to post and transcribe records. All photos on the website are taken with smart-phones using an app that is easily downloaded for either iPhones or Androids. The app automatically tags each photo with GPS coordinates and makes uploading the photos simple. Transcribing the records from the headstone photo can be done by the photographer or a different volunteer.
Searching for an ancestor on Billion Graves is similar to any genealogical database. Enter a surname and then add qualifiers such as a first name and burial location to narrow results. From my searches, I have found that Billion Graves doesn’t have as many photos as Find a Grave, but it is definitely growing and worth looking at if you’re searching for that elusive burial spot or want to volunteer some time to help other genealogists.
~ Carol Stetser is the society’s researcher and an instructor for Larimer County Genealogical Society. Visit our website (lcgsco.org) or our Facebook page (facebook.com/lcgsco) to learn about genealogy and our many free classes.