Cemetery Projects for Church Groups
Planning cemetery projects for church groups is easy with BillionGraves. BillionGraves is the world’s largest GPS-linked cemetery data resource. As volunteers take photos with the BillionGraves app, each gravestone is automatically marked with a GPS location. The data is then transcribed by volunteers, plotted on…
Winged Skull Gravestone Symbols
Winged skull gravestone symbols were common in 18th-century cemeteries. While they may look strange to us today – even morbid or creepy – they held important meaning for our ancestors. Death was a frequent visitor to households in the 1700s. In many areas, it was…
3 Amazing Gravestone Obelisks
Gravestone obelisks have been one of the most popular types of cemetery memorial stones since the mid-1800s. In fact, it is difficult to find a cemetery from that time period without one. Obelisks, defined as upright four-sided pillars that gradually taper off at the top…
8 Outstanding Eagle Scouts Serving in Cemeteries
There are some outstanding Eagle Scouts serving in cemeteries, taking hundreds of thousands of gravestone photographs to help others find their ancestors and expand their family trees. We would like to give a shout-out to a few of them. The rank of Eagle is Boy Scouting’s…
5 Awesome Mausoleums from Around the World
Awesome mausoleums from around the world vary in size and style, but they share the common purpose of showing respect for the departed. Since the beginning of time, people have developed different ways to bury their deceased loved ones. Mausoleums were some of the earliest…
Occupational Gravestones are Family History Clues
Occupational gravestones can help you discover the story of your ancestor’s life. It’s the dash between the dates! As family historians, most of us look for gravestones to find birth and death dates to add to our family trees. What a pleasant surprise when we…
Catholic Cemetery Symbols
Is your halo slipping or shining? Do you know why the rosary was invented? What does a sideways horizontal cross mean? This blog post will help you understand Catholic cemetery symbols. And after that, your trips to the cemetery will never be the same! My…
Rescuing Abandoned Cemeteries
Warning: rescuing abandoned cemeteries can be addictive. Barry Russell, a retired engineer for Verizon and current BillionGraves volunteer, was born and raised on Long Island, New York. And although he has had a life-long love for graveyards, Russell never suspected he would spend his retirement…
Three Amazing Cemeteries
These three amazing cemeteries are not only the final resting place for almost a million people, they are fascinating places to visit. Cemeteries around the world are gaining popularity as tourist attractions and destination points. In recognition of this, many cemeteries are planning visitor events…
Missionaries Taking Photos of Gravestones
Missionaries taking photos of gravestones? Yes, it’s true. Missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from several missions across the United States are helping to document cemeteries with the BillionGraves app during their weekly service hours. If 2020 was like any other…
Compassion at the Cemetery
Many BillionGraves volunteers show compassion at the cemetery by their acts of service, whether they are taking photos, helping to tend graves, or looking out for those who may be grieving. This blog post shares the experiences of three special volunteers who inspire others with…
The 7 Largest Cemeteries in the World
The seven largest cemeteries in the world are worth a visit – even if it is a virtual one! They come in all varieties from those that are packed-tight with crowded tombstones to others with park-like settings or those that seem to be outdoor art…
