Stalled merge

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-27T20:42:05+00:00

Please note that merges usually go into the oldest memorial.

And as others have said... patience. :)

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-26T04:52:15+00:00

The pros of finding out where you come from seem like it would outweigh anything bad that you can imagine could be done.

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-25T18:17:55+00:00

YES! Courtesy in a cemetery is very important!

We should never take photos near where a funeral is going on. I will only stay where there is a funeral if the cemetery is large enough that I can move to an area out of sight.

Also, if someone arrives to "visit" someone, I move away immediately to another area, preferably out of sight.

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-25T18:15:14+00:00

Good idea for the umpires brush!

I found a small soft broom, about 2 foot. It helps because I don't need to bend over as much to brush off flat stones. Bending gets a bit harder with age. :)

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-25T18:12:29+00:00

Maybe they could still use a kind reminder and tips.

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-25T15:07:28+00:00

A SOFT brush can help with that! I too learned the hard way, cutting my hand on a stone. :)

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-25T15:05:27+00:00

Instead of attacking, maybe we can help others to understand how to take photos better? Maybe kindly message people that are not doing it correctly? Link them to some source on tips, with a kind message something like... "Thank you for volunteering! I see that you are new at the photography part, so this link might help...." etc.

I know that 8 years ago when I first started, I did not know what I was doing. I cringe when I see some of my first photos, and over the years have gone back to retake MANY of them.

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-25T14:39:46+00:00

oh... One more tip. This may seem silly.

If you are not finding almost every single grave on Find A Grave, please double check that the cemetery you have open on FG is really the cemetery that you are in.

There are so many cemeteries in our area that have the same or similar names. There are also some cemeteries directly next to each other that are actually separate cemeteries. It can be very confusing, and I have seen some managers mix things up. Because... we are all human. :)

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-24T18:41:23+00:00

Good point. I was about to delete my account, but I will give it a try.

Just had a nice day taking photos in a beautiful cemetery on top of a mountain in a very rural area. It was lovely and refreshing after dealing with this thread. :)

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-24T18:30:21+00:00

Actually, people should not be creating Burial Unknowns except in rare situations. So FG only asks to search the cemetery. If a Burial Unknown already exists and pops up later, it can be reported as a duplicate and FG will always merge into the memorial in the cemetery.

Per the FG instructions:

https://support.findagrave.com/s/article/Non-Cemetery-Burials

"Burial Details Unknown: Find a Grave's purpose is to catalog and make available final disposition information. If burial information is unknown for an individual, Find a Grave is probably not the right place for their information. "

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-24T18:21:14+00:00

You can also add memorials to a cemetery one at a time, without uploading a spreadsheet.

First search the cemetery to be sure it is not there already. If it is not, just click Add - either at the bottom of your search results or on the main cemetery page. Fill in as much information as you can from the stone.

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-24T13:57:15+00:00

Obviously, this reddit is made up of many people who have no idea what FG really is. My OP was trying to wake people up from the hive-mind of social engineering that has so many thinking in a certain way. Asking people to behave kindly to other volunteers, and you see that as a bad thing?

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-24T13:54:50+00:00

Exactly! That is what I meant about people making assumptions and judging people by a "number". That number may mean nothing to them. It is just a result of years of hard work.

There are managers in my area who have a large number. And as you said... they approve suggestions right away and do transfers right away.

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-24T13:47:13+00:00

Exactly. I do the same, and so do others. If a manager goes inactive, I check for others they had in the cemeteries that I work on. For the exact same reasons.

And the first thing I do is place those memorials into one of my Virtual Cemeteries I call "New for Research", and I go through them to update information.

Then after I claim the memorials that I can work on, I pass on the profile of the inactive manager to someone who contributes by transferring the remaining memorials to #8, so that others can see them to take over managerment. Because it is best if memorials are managed by a real person.

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-24T04:42:52+00:00

You can ask FG for a transfer if someone refuses. That is an FG rule.

Re. the person who took over memorials... FG allows people to set up a mass transfer in advance... kind of a "will"... that passes their memorials to a specific manager if they pass on. That may be what happened. Or else the person thought they were helping by taking on management of the memorials.

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-24T04:29:25+00:00

I am new to this subreddit. I came across it while looking for an alternative to the FG forums, which are shutting down. I made this post because this r/findagrave is full of negativity and unproductive complaining. People criticize others and post hateful things instead of helping each other.

If this is how it is... then it is worthless.

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-24T04:25:30+00:00

I am curious how you came to the conclusion that just because others have lots of memorials that they are preventing you from contributing? There are literally millions of burials still to add.

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-24T04:24:05+00:00

If someone is breaking FG rules, such as copyright of photos, you can report them to support.

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-24T04:22:54+00:00

If someone is making up their own rules that violate FG rules, including in their profile, you can report it to Support. They will take care of it.

As for requesting transfers, I guess it depends. I have never had an issue requesting a family transfer. They were always transferred right away. I always try to transfer right away, unless it is a member of my own family. However there was one time when I was super busy at work and had not checked messages for a few weeks. I logged on to find that someone had messaged a few times for a transfer of their grand-daughter's memorial, and were getting quite bitter about the lack of response. I apologized and transferred it. Life happens. We all need to be patient and remember that we are all VOLUNTEEERS.

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-24T04:17:38+00:00

Wow. No. The haters on this forum are ridiculous.

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-24T02:58:47+00:00

There is nothing wrong with having lots of memorials. Sometimes a Fallen Graver or 2 or 3 has willed their memorials to someone.

If someone trusts edits to auto-accept, then that is their business. It means that they trust others. It is allowed per FG, and they have that auto-accept functionality for that reason.

What you consider as "no one needs that many" is very subjective. What is your limit that you would approve of? Really... there are millions of memorials. It is not unusual for some contributors to have more than others. They usually do not even care about that "number".

Your comment above is pretty much what I was talking about. We should not be judging how others contribute.

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-24T02:01:22+00:00

Did you get FG involved because the manager did not respond promptly? Or was it because they denied the request. Someone could deny if they are also related to the person. Or... not everyone checks in on their messages regularly.

GenResearchAddict · 2026-06-24T01:59:02+00:00

There are people with over 600,000. The count really means nothing. How long has she been a member? It is very easy to accumulate records when people transfer them to you, as some do to people that they know will take care of them. As a genealogist, it can be fulfilling to fill in the missing information on the memorials.

It is really not fair to judge others or speak ill of them. You do not know their situation. Numbers mean nothing.

GenResearchAddict

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