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up vote 27 down vote favorite

I have several complete cemetery headstone transcriptions and some additional partial cemeteries. None appear to be indexed online. What criteria from free sites or free content on paid sites should I consider, so they are available to all for the future? They are:

  • small, mostly now unused Australian cemeteries
  • visited for my own research
  • documented the details on each headstone
  • some have photographs
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1  
Very Big Kid it is great that you want to share your work and that you are seeking the expertise of GFH users to do so. BUT questions that ask "What ... is best" do not usually produce expert answers; just a list of possibilities and personal preferences (often without any supporting evidence). Perhaps you could rephrase your question to something like "What characteristics should I look for in a site for my cemetery records?" – Fortiter Dec 2 '12 at 1:36
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Please clarify what is intended by "complete cemetery headstone transcriptions." Do these represent a body of work that you developed about complete (specific) cemeteries at some point in time? Are they published materials or worksheets that someone else developed? The names/identities of the cemeteries would be helpful. – GeneJ Dec 2 '12 at 17:30
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These are small, mostly now unused cemeteries that I have visited for my own research. Due to the small number of graves, I try to document the details on each headstone. Where practical, I also photograph. In addition, I have details of specific families at other cemeteries. The ones I am currently querying are not name indexed as far as I can find. – Very Big Kid Dec 3 '12 at 2:34
Very Big Kid, I think this question has been made better by your edits, but could be better still if it asked about criteria for chosing a site. That way, hopefully it and its answers will remain useful in future even if (when!) new online sites become available. – ColeValleyGirl♦ Dec 3 '12 at 10:26

5 Answers

up vote 18 down vote

One possible online site is http://www.interment.net/. They accept whole and partial cemetery listings, but give preference to whole listings.

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up vote 15 down vote

I really like Find-a-Grave's functionality

  • submit a whole cemetery (25 graves or more) or add memorials one at a time
  • add pictures, biographies, transcripts, identify grave location
  • link memorials of spouses, parents & children
  • transfer individual memorials to persons more closely related to the deceased
  • collaboration with others to improve a memorial page regardless of the page's ownership
  • modify a cemetery's page with specific information
  • discouragement of duplicates
  • visibility in Google and as a database at Ancestry and MyHeritage etc.
  • global scope

However, the Findagrave's own search functions really favour U.S. cemeteries. Other countries have no juridictions below the country level. Also, the individual memorial pages make it harder to see the cemetery as a whole. As alternatives, check with the local genealogical or historical societies to see if their websites will host the material. Also, check the appropriate GenWeb sites to see if they are have similar transcripts. Examples (from Canada)

If you choose to place the material in multiple places, it may be possible to cross-reference the sites.

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Congratulations on not only answering the immediate question (Which site?) but also setting out the criteria that make this an appropriate choice. It is that second element that will give this response on-going value to future readers. – Fortiter Dec 3 '12 at 2:46
Agreeing with @Fortiter here -- good list of criteria. – ColeValleyGirl♦ Dec 3 '12 at 9:50
up vote 5 down vote

Submit to all, if your goal is to have them available to all.

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Part of my difficulty is finding sites that readily accept the data. Some request proof such as death and burial notices etc. Some do not accept contributions. – Very Big Kid Dec 2 '12 at 2:51
Ah, then you want the easiest sites, not the best. Just do a google search for: SUBMIT CEMETERY RECORDS – Rusty Erpenbeck Dec 2 '12 at 15:48
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I am not looking for the easiest, rather the ones that may exist as free sites for some time to come. Another need is not to have to prove each headstone, as I have not obtained death and burial details for all graves, only those I am interested in. And a site that accepts all cemeteries, not country specific, if possible. It is my wish to assist others who may not be able to visit these sites themselves. – Very Big Kid Dec 3 '12 at 3:07
up vote 5 down vote

I use Find a Grave as it is a very active site. (see @bgwiehle answer for more details)

Or you can use BillionGraves from your mobile phone.

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up vote 3 down vote

I would send it to archive.org first. They seem to have a very liberal policy about holding useful data for a very long time.

Then, after that, send it to other sites. Perhaps you could send them a link to your archive.org collection so they have easy access to it.

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2  
archive.org will hold onto the data, but it won't be very findable there. – Tom Morris Dec 8 '12 at 16:02
Good point. The main reason I suggested this is to reduce the chance that it gets lost before another site integrates it. I'd hate for a hard drive failure to happen while waiting for a response from a third party. – nertzy Dec 16 '12 at 19:43

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