Born and raised in middle Tennessee where it's the custom to pull over onto the side of the road when you encounter a funeral procession. Living in northern Indiana since 2009. History lover. JOWBR volunteer. Genealogical researcher. Photographer. Proud taphophile. Creator of The Grave Marker.
Featured in the May 2022 issue of American Cemetery Magazine(article "5 Taphophiles" by Alexandra Mosca), and my photo made the cover of the issue.

I've been studying grave markers and grave symbolism since 2014. I have a wealth of information on markers and monuments of all types found in cemeteries, including white bronze monuments and tree-stump tombstones, with tree-stump tombstones being a personal favorite and specialty. I also have an abundance of information on grave symbolism and the symbols and emblems found across many organizations and secret societies found in the United States. All of my grave studies are coupled with genealogy, which I've been doing since 2012, and with that I do my best to connect families together here on Find A Grave, so that no matter how far apart they may rest from one another, families can also rest together in this small way. It brings me great joy to know this helps so many people, especially those who live a great distance away from the gravesites but have been desperately searching for ancestors and distant relatives in pursuit of their family history. Please feel free to reach out if you think I can be of any help to you. I'm always happy to lend a hand.

Per Find A Grave:
"-What if there is no headstone?"
"-You can fulfill the photo request with a photograph of the plot where the grave is located. Indicate in the caption of the photograph that the grave is not marked."

I am happy to take photographs of unmarked grave locations as long as I can confirm with cemetery staff the location of resting place. I place a wreath on the unmarked plot for the photo in hopes of helping to better indicate exactly where the resting location is. If all that is available is a lot location without an exact plot location within it, I will provide a shot of that particular lot in hopes of providing folks with the best view that I can.

Gravestone rubbings(and shaving cream and any form of chalking) are heavily frowned upon and discouraged in the world of gravestone studies and preservation. Many cemeteries have banned the practice in their grounds, and it's even illegal in some states as it's very damaging to stones. Remember, your community's history lies within your cemeteries, so do everything in your power to do right by the stones. Please do not ever apply anything to a stone to read it. It's important to note that light can absolutely be used to your advantage in trying to read old, worn/faded grave markers. I've seen completely illegible stones be read with total clarity all thanks to light. This can be done with natural light either during the day with a mirror or as the sun sets without any equipment(depending on the stone). Another option is to use a high-powered light at sunset. The sun doesn't need to be below the horizon for this to work. A few example photos of my work with light can be found on the following memorials:
-https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20876455/susan-price
-https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/199326933/anna-mainer
-https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/206912798/minnie_saloff
-https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/260536686/rebecca-f-hanson

"Dear Ancestor"
Your tombstone stands among the rest;
neglected and alone.
The name and date are chiseled out
on polished, marbled stone.
It reaches out to all who care;
It is too late to mourn.
You did not know that I exist;
You died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you
in flesh, in blood, in bone.
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse
entirely not our own.
Dear Ancestor, the place you filled
one hundred years ago,
spreads out among the ones you left
who would have loved you so.
I wonder if you lived and loved,
I wonder if you knew.
That someday I would find this spot,
and come to visit you.
-Walter Butler Palmer (written in 1906)

Born and raised in middle Tennessee where it's the custom to pull over onto the side of the road when you encounter a funeral procession. Living in northern Indiana since 2009. History lover. JOWBR volunteer. Genealogical researcher. Photographer. Proud taphophile. Creator of The Grave Marker.
Featured in the May 2022 issue of American Cemetery Magazine(article "5 Taphophiles" by Alexandra Mosca), and my photo made the cover of the issue.

I've been studying grave markers and grave symbolism since 2014. I have a wealth of information on markers and monuments of all types found in cemeteries, including white bronze monuments and tree-stump tombstones, with tree-stump tombstones being a personal favorite and specialty. I also have an abundance of information on grave symbolism and the symbols and emblems found across many organizations and secret societies found in the United States. All of my grave studies are coupled with genealogy, which I've been doing since 2012, and with that I do my best to connect families together here on Find A Grave, so that no matter how far apart they may rest from one another, families can also rest together in this small way. It brings me great joy to know this helps so many people, especially those who live a great distance away from the gravesites but have been desperately searching for ancestors and distant relatives in pursuit of their family history. Please feel free to reach out if you think I can be of any help to you. I'm always happy to lend a hand.

Per Find A Grave:
"-What if there is no headstone?"
"-You can fulfill the photo request with a photograph of the plot where the grave is located. Indicate in the caption of the photograph that the grave is not marked."

I am happy to take photographs of unmarked grave locations as long as I can confirm with cemetery staff the location of resting place. I place a wreath on the unmarked plot for the photo in hopes of helping to better indicate exactly where the resting location is. If all that is available is a lot location without an exact plot location within it, I will provide a shot of that particular lot in hopes of providing folks with the best view that I can.

Gravestone rubbings(and shaving cream and any form of chalking) are heavily frowned upon and discouraged in the world of gravestone studies and preservation. Many cemeteries have banned the practice in their grounds, and it's even illegal in some states as it's very damaging to stones. Remember, your community's history lies within your cemeteries, so do everything in your power to do right by the stones. Please do not ever apply anything to a stone to read it. It's important to note that light can absolutely be used to your advantage in trying to read old, worn/faded grave markers. I've seen completely illegible stones be read with total clarity all thanks to light. This can be done with natural light either during the day with a mirror or as the sun sets without any equipment(depending on the stone). Another option is to use a high-powered light at sunset. The sun doesn't need to be below the horizon for this to work. A few example photos of my work with light can be found on the following memorials:
-https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20876455/susan-price
-https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/199326933/anna-mainer
-https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/206912798/minnie_saloff
-https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/260536686/rebecca-f-hanson

"Dear Ancestor"
Your tombstone stands among the rest;
neglected and alone.
The name and date are chiseled out
on polished, marbled stone.
It reaches out to all who care;
It is too late to mourn.
You did not know that I exist;
You died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you
in flesh, in blood, in bone.
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse
entirely not our own.
Dear Ancestor, the place you filled
one hundred years ago,
spreads out among the ones you left
who would have loved you so.
I wonder if you lived and loved,
I wonder if you knew.
That someday I would find this spot,
and come to visit you.
-Walter Butler Palmer (written in 1906)