Keeping Kids Busy During Coronavirus Closures
Keeping your kids busy during coronavirus closures can be a challenge. Are you stuck at home while your children’s school or your own office is closed? No worries! BillionGraves has some fun ideas to help keep your family happy and involved while staying healthy! Avoid…
Remembering the Irish Famine
Gone but not forgotten. Not forgotten because WE are remembering the Irish Famine. Each St. Patrick’s Day my heart is turned to the Irish. My own father was born on St. Patrick’s Day and was fittingly given the middle name of Patrick. We live in…
Riding the Cemetery Railroad
What would it be like to take passage on a cemetery railroad? Imagine it is 1854 and a new train has been built to serve your home city of London. It only has one destination. It travels 23 miles to the end of the line…
Damaged Gravestones
Damaged gravestones mean lost history. In many cases, the damaged gravestones contain not only personal family history but also community and cultural information. Some gravestones are damaged by natural causes. Others are damaged by either well-meaning or ill-intentioned humans. But if damaged gravestones are photographed…
Understanding Jewish Gravestones
If you’ve spent much time in cemeteries, you’ve probably seen some matzevot or Jewish gravestones. You may have wondered – what is the significance of the rocks placed on them? Why are some of the gravestones vertical and some horizontal? Or what do the inscriptions…
Portraits in Stone
Families have been immortalizing their loved ones with portraits in stone on their gravesites for thousands of years. After all, it’s hard to lose the people you love. So we rationalize that if we could have just one last look at their face, it might…
Australian Gravestone Symbols
Waverley Cemetery in the suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia is consistently ranked as one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world – and it’s a great place to learn about Australian gravestone symbols. Waverly Cemetery is perched on high cliffs overlooking the…
Cemetery Angels
Some of the most touching graveside monuments are cemetery angels. The angels appear in many forms. There are angels dressed in flowing robes with feathery wings and joyful smiles. Others are serious guardians of the deceased, bearing swords. Some carry crosses or flowers. Some angels…
Insider Secrets from BillionGraves Super-Fans
Straight from BillionGraves Super-Fans, here are some insider secrets, professional tips, and new perspectives! These great ideas will help you become a better cemetery photographer, a more efficient data transcriber, and a more effective genealogist! Insider Secret #1: Finding a Cemetery that Needs Photos A…
Mayflower Family Gravestones
Mayflower family gravestones help tell the story of the 102 passengers who set sail for America in the year 1620 with hopes of a better life and a place where they and their children could worship in peace. This was the Mayflower’s first cross-Atlantic trip…
10 Catholic Gravestone Symbols
Catholic gravestone symbols can be confusing if you don’t understand what they mean – but inspiring if you do! This blog post will explore the meaning behind ten Catholic symbols at the cemetery. Grandma Mary Two of my grandparents were Protestant and two were Catholic,…
Remembrance Day: Lest We Forget
On November 11th, 1918 the guns fell silent across Europe as the Treaty of Versailles was signed to signify the end of World War I. And now this year – November 11, 2019 – commemorates the 101st anniversary of this event, a day that has…
