Using Find a Grave for genealogy research
- Vicki Tobias
- Jun 26
- 2 min read
One of my favorite genealogy resources is Find a Grave (www.findagrave.com), a free online database and community-driven website that catalogs grave and memorial information from cemeteries throughout the United States and beyond. It's widely used in genealogy research and was recently incorporated into Ancestry.com’s suite of resources, although you can still use the free, standalone site. Why do I love it?
Find a Grave provides a vast and FREE (we love FREE!) database of cemetery records from around the world. Users can create an account and upload and view photographs of gravestones. Profiles of deceased individuals often include birth and death dates, family relationships, and sometimes biographical information. Users can create virtual memorials for deceased individuals, even if the burial location is unknown. It’s a great way to “control the narrative” and manage your family’s data. Find a Grave also allows linking of family members' memorials, helping to visualize family relationships.
How is it maintained? A community of volunteers fulfils photo requests and adds information to the site, which enables researchers to search by name, location, or cemetery. It’s a great resource for death dates and locations when other records are unavailable.
A few caveats ...
As a user-generated, collaborative platform, anyone can add information, suggest edits, and leave virtual flowers or tributes. This is great, but I always recommend double-checking and finding a second source for any information found on Find a Grave.
User-generated content may contain errors or unverified information.
Not all graves or cemeteries are included (yet).
Some users add information about living individuals without consent, which is not cool.
The depth and accuracy of information vary greatly between entries.
Unfortunately, these virtual memorials can be subject to inappropriate edits or comments.
Finally, photo requests and information updates are dependent on volunteer availability and may take several months to fulfil.
For more information, visit https://www.findagrave.com/.
Tobias History Research is a premier provider of history research and archives management services. With 20+ years of professional experience, founder Vicki Tobias helps clients expertly discover their history and enthusiastically share their stories. Learn more about her services.
