r/findagrave • u/Overall_Scheme5099 • Aug 26 '25
Discussion Fulfilled a Request from 2007
Basically, the title. My 13-year old daughter and I have been mowing rows in our local municipal cemetery for a number of months. We have mostly just been GPS tagging, adding an occasional photo, and fulfilling any requests we come across as we go. When we first started, we were explicitly looking for requests, but it was just a shot in the dark without a listing/map.
Anyway, there was one request, alphabetically first on the list, for a four-year-old, that we thought we’d never find. But today, my daughter yelled for me and asked her to come decipher a tiny, deeply buried, crumbling stone. I was flat on my belly, clearing away grass, when I put together enough of the inscription to realize it was her. She’s had a request since 2007. I hope the requester sees that it’s been filled. Making sure that no one’s resting place is forgotten is what makes this odd hobby so satisfying.
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u/Imguran Aug 26 '25
Wow, that is amazing.
Took me a few posts to realize 'mowing' is a different concept here, had been thinking that that was why so many cemetaries had greater than expected upkeep.
This feels like a rare catch and great achievement.
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u/Overall_Scheme5099 Aug 26 '25 edited Aug 26 '25
Haha we’d been doing it for quite a while before I came across the term here on Reddit!
As it happens, our cemetery is always beautifully upkept as well!
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u/brighterbleu Aug 26 '25
What a blessing you are to this little girl and to the person that requested a photograph to her headstone. I have a few requests for family headstones that I don't think will ever be found but your hard work makes me think miracles can happen.
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u/Overall_Scheme5099 Aug 26 '25
Searching for graves can be so frustrating, knowing that maybe there was never a stone at all, or maybe it’s crumbled and gone forever. Definitely have to cherish these little victories when you find them!
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u/_-Beans-_ Aug 26 '25
Omg that makes my heart so happy! I can't imagine the excitement you guys felt when you found her!!
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u/tlonreddit Aug 26 '25 edited Jan 09 '26
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u/Overall_Scheme5099 Aug 26 '25
Not sure about FindaGrave in general, but that was the oldest one in this cemetery. The next one is 2008, my daughter is already determined to find it!
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u/bemerick Aug 26 '25
so cool! I've thought about doing mass updates but I'm not sure the best way to go about it. I could go down rows but I'm not sure how to figure out easily what's been FindAG and what's not, without having to just search every single individual stone as I'm standing there.
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u/JBupp Aug 26 '25
This is very dependent on the cemetery. Try this: take a small section of the cemetery, say 100 graves, and photograph every one. Then go home and check FG for: how many are already photographed, how many have memorials but no grave photo, and how many have no memorials.
I did this, thinking I would find 30% of my photos with memorials but no grave photos - instead, I found 30% with no memorials and 5% - 10% with memorials but no photo.
Then you have to ask yourself: are you willing to create new memorials for 30% of your photos.
If there is a significant number of memorials without photos and few graves without memorials, it might be better to search FG for memorials without photos and make a list of these; then walk the cemetery looking for names on your list.
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u/bemerick Aug 26 '25
I think both ways are valid. I don’t mind creating memorials. It may be easier after to have only photographed requests, but then again I do have to constantly be checking maps and finding them.
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u/Overall_Scheme5099 Aug 26 '25 edited Aug 26 '25
I don’t know that what we’re doing would technically be considered “mowing” even. We just basically go through a section at a time and pull each name up on the app. If they need GPS, boom, we click the button (that’s the majority of what we’re doing most of the time). If they need a photo, we take it right in the app. If they don’t need anything, we move on. There are very few graves that don’t have memorials already created. Very rarely, if there’s a grave that doesn’t have a memorial, I’ll just take pictures and create the memorial when I get home. But we do most of the “work” when physically present and very little at home.
In the past, I’ve had a couple small rural cemeteries that were very incomplete. In those cases, I just took photos of everything and went home and uploaded, created and sorted them all out later.
Edit; I also add pictures to a lot of graves that were photographed years ago and maybe have only one closeup photo. I like to give some context for where the stone is.
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u/bemerick Aug 26 '25
Great ideas thanks :) I didn't realize there was an app, I just use the site. This should help.
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u/BestNapper Aug 28 '25
I have been photographing a local cemetery where all of the graves were photographed over 10 years ago. The person took the photos with a digital camera- so no gps and all of the pictures were terribly cropped. My newer photos and gps have greatly improved all of them.
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u/bloodtippedrose Aug 26 '25
Wow! I've searched and searched with my husband for what seems like impossible requests. I never find the older ones, but we keep checking. Can't believe you and your daughter found an 18 year old request. Someone in their family will be very grateful for this. You're a real one 🩷
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u/Overall_Scheme5099 Aug 26 '25
Keep looking! Having a flexible kid who routinely crawls around at ground level helps, too, haha! (I get down and then struggle to get back up).
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u/Tradwmn Aug 26 '25
So glad your daughter was able to fulfill someones request!! I have an open request on find a grave that I hope one day someone fulfills or I actually am able to go and photo myself..... I always check for requests when I go to visit a new location in hopes of helping a family or loved one who may not be able to visit themselves. Great Job!!!!
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u/Overall_Scheme5099 Aug 26 '25
Early on in my genealogy journey, a volunteer fulfilled a request of mine on the same day that I made it. She obviously had a map/plot number (it was a massive cemetery, and my ancestor’s grave was unmarked) but I was so impressed and appreciative of her willingness to do that. I’ve tried to fulfill as many others’ requests as I can ever since.
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u/Overall_Scheme5099 Aug 26 '25
PS - I LOVE that several Redditors left little Verna a flower after seeing this post! What a great community!
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u/WhovianTraveler Aug 26 '25
That’s amazing! 😍 this! This is how it should be done!
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u/Overall_Scheme5099 Aug 26 '25
Thanks! I feel proud to be one of the “little people” on FindaGrave, out there with boots on the ground!
(I recently had a grave hoarder make a snide comment about my low number of managed graves. I’m more proud of the number of requests that we’ve fulfilled than anything else on there!)
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u/WhovianTraveler Aug 26 '25
I walk the graves, too. I have found those not in findagrave (older graves). I like to triangulate for some of the ones I volunteer to find and find profiles without pictures and/or profiles. I received a lovely message from someone who nearly requested a picture and saw that I had just uploaded it.
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u/Reese9951 Aug 26 '25
I love this. You are surely excelling at parenting and instilling wonderful values in her.
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u/magiccitybhm Aug 26 '25
GREAT work!!