Issue 23.12
BillionGraves.com created by App Time, is a website and smartphone app, both for Apple iPhone and Google Android models. It is used to provide an expansive family history database for records and images from the world’s cemeteries, all tagged with GPS locations.
This allows users to search for names of ancestors using a variety of search fields and then find the exact physical location of graves bearing those names using satellite technology. BillionGraves is counting on volunteers to download the smartphone camera app, make sure the GPS feature is activated and take photos of grave markers, upload images, and help with indexing. The company is off to a great start.
Murray City’s cemetery was recently done as FamilySearch conducted a BillionGraves service project. 200 volunteers met at the stake center across the street, had breakfast, instruction and team assignments were made before 30 groups headed to the cemetery. They were able to take pictures of the entire cemetery, over 14,000 graves. Now the indexing work has begun.
On the Internet, log in at www.billiongraves.com or register as a first-time user. You can then view the photos already there, help transcribe records or download the app on your smart phone and visit the cemetery to take pictures. This would be a fun family activity for a family reunion if you were meeting near a family cemetery. It could also be used as an Eagle Scout Project or community service project.
It looks like a great site, with tutorials and guides and even a leaderboard for the competitive cemetery scanners. I love to find photos of cemeteries and gravestones online when I am researching a family. You can also usually find death dates and even determine relationships of families who share headstones or are buried near one another. With FamilySearch’s new Family Tree application, we will be able to link the headstone photos to the individuals.
At BillionGraves.com I found grave photos from Afghanistan to Zambia and from Venezuela to Colorado. Headstones are also good places to find marriage dates that may have been included and sometimes even the maiden name of the woman. Most of the site is free, but you can purchase record watches, a virtual walkthrough, and the ability to save favorites and do mobile records searches for only $9.99 per year. The site says you can take over 100 headstone pictures in just 20 minutes.
For more information, contact Shanna Jones at shannasjones@msn.com or (435) 628-4900.