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…
Infant Gravestone Symbols
Infant gravestone symbols can reveal the beliefs and emotions of our ancestors who lost little ones. An understanding of these symbols can give us a peek into their hearts. Infant mortality rates were much higher a few generations ago. As we build our family trees,…
Thanks a Million!
Thanks a million to everyone who participated in uploading photos on June 25th for the Rescuing Our Roots project! The attempt to break an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS (TM) title was unfortunately unsuccessful. However, it was part of a larger goal to document one million…
Join an Official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Attempt!
You are invited to join an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDSTM attempt to break a title for the most photos of gravestones uploaded to a bespoke (custom) platform in 24 hours! We would love to have you participate! After all, it isn’t every day you get…
The World’s Largest BillionGraves Project!
The world’s largest BillionGraves project in history is underway and you are invited to join in! The project is called Rescuing Our Roots and participants will be attempting to break an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDSTM title on Sunday, June 25th for the most photos of…
New Purple Dots on BillionGraves Maps!
Have you noticed the new purple dots on BillionGraves maps!? It’s not measles or chicken pox, I promise. It’s a new way for you to discover which gravestones are legible! Check out this new legend beneath the cemetery map! Understanding GPS Markers on Cemetery Maps…
Cuba’s Colón Cemetery
Cuba’s Colón Cemetery holds many surprises . . . When you think of the famous explorer Christopher Columbus, a cemetery in Cuba may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But that is who this cemetery is named after. The full name of…
Hand Symbolism on Gravestones
Hand symbolism on gravestones can reveal how our ancestors lived and what they believed. One of the most common gravestone symbols on tombstones is the hand. There are clasped hands, pointing fingers, hands holding objects, and more. Finger Pointing Up Fingers pointing upward indicate that…
Documenting India
Documenting India and the country’s diaspora with the BillionGraves app is one of the goals of a new genealogical society: The Genealogical Society of India and its Diaspora. It’s something you could help with too! Simply download the BillionGraves app to your smartphone and take…
The Candy Bomber
The Candy Bomber was a nickname given to World War II pilot, Colonel Gail S. Halvorsen (1920 – 2021). He became well-known for dropping candy tied to miniature parachutes from his plane to German children in Berlin from 1948 to 1949. Halvorsen was also known…
Westminster Abbey Gravesites
Westminster Abbey gravesites are the final resting places for more than 3,300 notable people. Who can be buried at Westminster Abbey? Someone once said, “I once started to research this very question. But on discovering that the first requirement is that you have to be dead,…
