Freemasons Gravestone Symbols
Freemasons are the largest and most widely recognized fraternity with over 6 million members worldwide. Members are commonly referred to as Masons and leaders become Master Masons. We often think of “a mason” as a worker who uses bricks, concrete blocks, or natural stones to build…
The 10 Largest National Cemeteries in the USA
The 10 largest national cemeteries in the USA are some of the final resting places for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to preserve freedom. Behind each gravestone is a story of courage, deserving a moment of quiet awe. What is a National Cemetery? A US…
American Revolution Gravestone Symbols
American Revolution gravestone symbols preserve the story of an important chapter in US history, a war for independence from 1775 to 1783. The American Revolution was fought over who had the authority to impose taxes – Britain or those governing Britain’s 13 colonies in America….
The Burial Site of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their Families
The burial site of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is considered a holy place in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. These early prophets were buried in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, Israel. Their wives Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah are also buried there, as are other ancient religious…
Cemetery Picnics our Ancestors Attended
Cemetery picnics? Those two words hardly seem to go together. But yes, cemetery picnics were a thing! And maybe, just maybe, YOUR ancestors attended them. Today, cemetery picnics may seem morbid or even creepy, but it was a common practice in the 1800s and early…
BillionGraves Eagle Scout Cemetery Projects
BillionGraves Eagle Scout cemetery projects are making an impact on the genealogy world! As Eagle candidates lead their volunteers in taking GPS-linked photos with the BillionGraves app, they are helping others find their ancestors and grow their family trees. In this blog post, you will…
Bonaventure Cemetery
Bonaventure Cemetery, named by CNN as one of the World’s 10 Most Beautiful Cemeteries, has been a world-famous tourist destination for more than 150 years. As many as 450,000 people per year visit this cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. For many, it is their family vacation. Yes,…
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…