Bird Symbols at the Cemetery
Bird symbols at the cemetery give us clues about what our ancestors thought and what they valued. Once you start to pay attention to this, you may be surprised at how many birds you will see on gravestones during your visits to the cemetery. My…
Do Your Ancestors Have Mail-Order Tombstones from Sears?
Do your ancestors have Sears mail-order tombstones on their final resting places? They might! When our great-grandparents needed just about anything, they turned to the Sears catalog. It was the Amazon of their day. At first, Sears catalogs were limited, featuring only jewelry and watches….
Gravestone Recipes So Good They are Set in Stone
Gravestone recipes . . . so good that they are set in stone! When a recipe is important enough to living family members that they want it preserved on a tombstone, it must have been absolutely delicious! Or perhaps the recipe is connected with some…
Transcribing BillionGraves Records on a Mobile Phone
Transcribing BillionGraves records on a mobile phone makes it possible for you to serve while you are on the go! Transcribing used to be done only on computers but now you can also transcribe names and dates from gravestones on your iOS or Android phone!…
Artificial Intelligence for BillionGraves Transcriptions
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the way BillionGraves transcriptions are done and we are so excited to tell you all about it! Sooo Many Transcriptions A few years ago, if I uploaded my gravestone photos while I was at the cemetery, they would be transcribed…
Exciting New Changes for BillionGraves Transcriptions!
Exciting new changes have come to the BillionGraves transcription page and we can’t wait to share them with you! New Transcription Form Here is an image of the new transcription form: You can see the new transcription form by going to BillionGraves.com/transcribe. I’ll walk you…
Gravestone Symbols from A to Z
Gravestone symbols from A to Z reveal interesting insights into our ancestors’ lives and beliefs. When you were learning to read as a child, you probably learned the alphabet from A to Z. Likewise, learning gravestone symbols from A to Z will help you learn…
“How Do I . . . ?” 10 Answers to Your BillionGraves Questions
“How do I . . . ?” 10 BillionGraves tips and tricks are headed your way! The answers to these questions will help you become a better cemetery photographer, a more efficient data transcriber, and a more effective genealogist! Here’s your chance to learn from…
Women’s Fashion to Date Old Family Photos
Women’s fashion can be used to date old family photos? Yes, and it’s easier than you might think! So don’t despair if you have piles of pictures with no names and dates. Pull out that shoebox under your bed, put on some old-time music, and…
Tree Gravestones for Woodmen of the World
Tree gravestones are unique. Have you ever seen one? The first time I saw a tree gravestone at a cemetery, I did a doubletake. It looked so real that it blended in with the surrounding trees, appearing at first to be part of nature. Why…
Old Family Photos: Dates, Names, & Graves
Old family photos without dates and names can be frustrating but with these ideas, you could identify your ancestors in the pictures and maybe even break down a family history brick wall! So pull out that shoebox under your bed full of old photos and…
Discarded Gravestones
Discarded gravestones on the beach?! You might expect to find seashells, sea glass, driftwood, and such on a beach . . . but gravestones!? Low tides, strong winds, and shifting sands reveal a tragic event in San Francisco’s past – gravestones that were repurposed decades…