In April 2017 I started working on my family tree, searching local cemeteries and seeing many familiar names. It quickly turned into an obsession and after 6 years I took my family tree from about 500 people to over 12,500 people in 2023. One of the primary research tools used was Find a Grave. I felt compelled to give back and started taking pictures at a local cemetery. From there I moved on to other cemeteries and some further away from my home in Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada.

On January 3, 2022 at my request Find a Grave transferred all non-family memorials to '8'. Since then I transfer any newly created non-relative memorials to Find a Grave.
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Pictures:

My pictures are free to use, but please give me credit (photo by Robert Bell).

Pictures are taken "as is" on the day I'm at the cemetery as per Find a Grave policy of not interfering with grave markers you don't own. I suffer from mobility problems and can no longer clean grass clippings, and other objects from every marker. It is not my place to remove unsightly decorations like dead flowers or faded plastic ones. I will photo edit a picture to remove bird dropping when possible.

Flat markers sink and accumulate grass cutting, sod, sand, and/or earth on their surfaces. An attempt to remove these items to see enough text to identify the person will be made, unless I believe doing so could damage the stone (hidden pebbles, etc.)… in this case I won't even try to take a picture.

I will remove any picture upon request, but hope that another replaces it before I do so.
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Any memorial I manage is a relative… some close… some more distant. I would like to make contact with those that are interested in sharing information.
While I would like to manage family memorials, I will consider a transfer to another family member upon proof of relationship to the person in the memorial.
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Obituaries:

I will not add copy and paste obituaries to any memorial since I'm unable to determine who owns the copyright (can't be published for 50 years until after the death of the writer – usually a family member or close friend). In 2018 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled an obituary is a copyrighted item and ownership belongs to the person who wrote it (the family, not the funeral home).

An obituary can be written in your own words and as per Find a Grave policy do not mention living family members in an obituary. If the named individuals appear like they could be living, I will not add the obituary. Alternatively a reference to where the obituary can be found is acceptable (Newspaper, page, date; but no hyperlinks).
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If your suggested edit conflicts with what is there, it is up to you to provide proof of wrong/correct information.
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The purpose of GPS is to get you close to the marker. Since my camera is attaching the GPS coordinates to the picture, the location will be where I'm standing. Given commercial GPS accuracy is about 10 to 20+ feet radius, I will reject any change request within that distance. Please use a GPS distance calculator to check before submitting a change. GPS locations can be effected by large trees and buildings.
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Robert Bell (Valleyboy13)

In April 2017 I started working on my family tree, searching local cemeteries and seeing many familiar names. It quickly turned into an obsession and after 6 years I took my family tree from about 500 people to over 12,500 people in 2023. One of the primary research tools used was Find a Grave. I felt compelled to give back and started taking pictures at a local cemetery. From there I moved on to other cemeteries and some further away from my home in Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada.

On January 3, 2022 at my request Find a Grave transferred all non-family memorials to '8'. Since then I transfer any newly created non-relative memorials to Find a Grave.
------------------------------------------

Pictures:

My pictures are free to use, but please give me credit (photo by Robert Bell).

Pictures are taken "as is" on the day I'm at the cemetery as per Find a Grave policy of not interfering with grave markers you don't own. I suffer from mobility problems and can no longer clean grass clippings, and other objects from every marker. It is not my place to remove unsightly decorations like dead flowers or faded plastic ones. I will photo edit a picture to remove bird dropping when possible.

Flat markers sink and accumulate grass cutting, sod, sand, and/or earth on their surfaces. An attempt to remove these items to see enough text to identify the person will be made, unless I believe doing so could damage the stone (hidden pebbles, etc.)… in this case I won't even try to take a picture.

I will remove any picture upon request, but hope that another replaces it before I do so.
------------------------------------------

Any memorial I manage is a relative… some close… some more distant. I would like to make contact with those that are interested in sharing information.
While I would like to manage family memorials, I will consider a transfer to another family member upon proof of relationship to the person in the memorial.
------------------------------------------

Obituaries:

I will not add copy and paste obituaries to any memorial since I'm unable to determine who owns the copyright (can't be published for 50 years until after the death of the writer – usually a family member or close friend). In 2018 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled an obituary is a copyrighted item and ownership belongs to the person who wrote it (the family, not the funeral home).

An obituary can be written in your own words and as per Find a Grave policy do not mention living family members in an obituary. If the named individuals appear like they could be living, I will not add the obituary. Alternatively a reference to where the obituary can be found is acceptable (Newspaper, page, date; but no hyperlinks).
------------------------------------------

If your suggested edit conflicts with what is there, it is up to you to provide proof of wrong/correct information.
------------------------------------------

The purpose of GPS is to get you close to the marker. Since my camera is attaching the GPS coordinates to the picture, the location will be where I'm standing. Given commercial GPS accuracy is about 10 to 20+ feet radius, I will reject any change request within that distance. Please use a GPS distance calculator to check before submitting a change. GPS locations can be effected by large trees and buildings.
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Robert Bell (Valleyboy13)