BillionGraves

BillionGraves is the world's largest GPS-linked cemetery database and it is growing bigger and better every day. You can help by taking photos of headstones and then transcribing the names and dates on the images.

BillionGraves’ mission is to preserve the world's cemeteries, one headstone at a time. Each gravestone is marked with a GPS location, making them readily available for free for millions of families around the globe for genealogical research for generations to come.

Deteriorating Gravestones
Across the world, gravestones are deteriorating and erosion is erasing the precious details of our ancestor’s lives. With BillionGraves, even if a loved one’s gravestone is damaged or worn by time, the invaluable information recorded at their final resting place will still be available.

How can you help? Grab your smartphone, download the free BillionGraves app and head out to your nearest cemetery. It's as easy as taking pictures of each grave as you walk along. The app will capture the GPS location automatically and in just a short visit hundreds of records can be preserved. When you are finished upload the photos - with one click of a button - so everyone can use them for family history and to keep the memories alive of those you honor and love.

Getting Started
1.    Download the BillionGraves app to smartphone.

2.    Create a free account on the app or online.

3.   In the app click on "take pictures" to begin taking photos in your local cemetery.

4.   When finished, connect to Wi-Fi and upload cemetery photos.

5.   Repeat! :)

Find a cemetery to photograph
1. In the app, click on "find cemeteries".

2. Select a cemetery nearby. Tap the arrow for driving directions and additional cemetery info.

3. Click on "map" to see a map of the cemetery and pins of photos already taken.

4. If no pins are present on the map, photograph the entire cemetery.

5. If pins are present, locate a section of the cemetery with no pins and begin taking photos.

For additional videos and resources to help you get started, click HERE.

BillionGraves and Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing means that anyone can help!

Here are three ways you can participate in BillionGraves:
 * You can take photos at a cemetery.
 * You can take photos at a cemetery and then transcribe the information from your own images.
 * You can transcribe the information from images someone else has taken. All you have to do is go to BillionGraves.com and click "Transcribe." The online transcribing form is easy to use.

BillionGraves, a Certified FamilySearch Partner
BillionGraves is a certified partner of FamilySearch with read-and-write integrations into the FamilySearch Family Tree.

Records and modifications made on the BillionGraves website are reflected on FamilySearch.

BillionGraves has been featured on the FamilySearch blog:


 * BillionGraves
 * Preserving the Memories of A Billion Graves
 * Learn More about BillionGraves.com

All extracted information that is searchable through the BillionGraves’ website database is also accessible at FamilySearch.org. To learn more about searching the BillionGraves database on FamilySearch.org go to Billiongraves Index (FamilySearch Historical Records).

The Goal of BillionGraves
We are working to provide an expansive family history database for records and images from the world’s cemeteries—but it’s not something we can do alone. We need you to help us by collecting images from cemeteries around the world.

Help us make family history research more accessible to everyone. Download the BillionGraves iOS/Android app and head out to a cemetery so you can help contribute to the GPS-linked gravestone image database!