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Find a Grave: Free Family Tree Resource
July 5, 2012 by ramona
Filed under Articles, Genealogy Research Resources, General Tips, Latest News, Sharing Genealogy Information
Find a Grave is a FREE genealogical resource that every genealogy beginner should visit and bookmark today.
Founded in 1995 by Jim Tipton, a self-proclaimed nerd with the odd hobby of searching out and visiting the grave sites of the famous; Tipton’s goal in the creation of the site was to share his interest with like-minded others.
It was not long before he came to the realization that his hobby had great historical and genealogical significance.
What Does Find a Grave Contain?
Filled with memorials this virtual cemetery has listings for:
- North America (by province and state)
- South America
- Europe
- Asia
- Australia and Oceana
- Africa
Not to be forgotten is the “Famous Graves” section that has a comprehensive search field that allows for numerous search types.
It also has some fun categories such as:
Yearly Necrologies: listings of individuals who died during specific times
Posthumous Reunions: a page that lists movies and TV shows with cast members who have passed away. For example when I clicked on the TV show Star Trek, it listed 46 cast members (both guest starts and original crew). For each listing, it gave the date and place of birth and death, a biography that contained many details, cause of death, place of burial and special details.
Interesting Epitaphs: This category is self explanatory and indeed does contain some very interesting epitaphs.
Is it Worth My Time?
The best way to tackle this question is by giving it a test run. For this purpose, I will use three of my ancestors, one from the US, one from Canada and one from Scotland using the broadest search category…surname search.
- U. S. – Undseth: This search did not return any direct line ancestors, however there were a few cousins listed.
- Canada – McCallum: This search found several of my ancestors graves listed in three provinces.
- Scotland – Sinclair: This Search was the most successful and returned numerous family lines from the Orkney Islands.
Find a Grave is most definitely worth your time. In fact, you could easily spend hours and hours searching through the site for burial records to flesh out your family history.
How do I Join?
Joining is easy; simply fill out the online registration and you can immediately begin searching for your ancestors.
Find a Grave is a true genealogy treasure that allows you to not only search for your ancestors but also to contribute to the already huge database. Before you get started, be sure to download your complementary Cemetery Visit Tracking Form available with your free 30-day trail membership to Genealogy Beginner.
