One of the best ways to honor your ancestors is to visit their graves. Standing amid the headstones, you can often get a sense for the area in which they lived and the legacy they have left for you. A new page on FamilySearch.org makes it much easier for you to discover and celebrate the stories of your ancestors’ lives as you visit the cemeteries where they were laid to rest.
How It Works
Visit the FamilySearch BillionGraves index page, and sign in using your FamilySearch account. (If you don’t have one, you can easily create one.) An automated search will look at the BillionGraves database, locate photos of your ancestors’ headstones, and plot their locations on a map. Clicking a pin on the map will open a window containing a photo of the headstone, basic information about your ancestor, and a link to GPS coordinates from BillionGraves. You can even click a link, and see how you are related to each ancestor.
Visit the page to discover your ancestors' headstones.
Great Service Idea
This technology also provides new opportunities for youth and young adults to participate in family history. Youth groups all over the world can add to the BillionGraves database by taking headstone pictures using their smartphones, and uploading them to the site, allowing anyone with an Internet connection to view the headstones. Read about how youth are already beginning to help.
Using these new tools can help us feel closer to our loved ones who have passed on. As we remember and teach others about our ancestors, we will help their stories live on. Whether you visit your ancestors’ gravesites in person, view their headstones and information online, or help build the BillionGraves database with your smartphone, you’ll be blessed as you learn about your ancestors and celebrate their lives.
