I joined Find a Grave in June 2005. What a wonderful site!

I am not related to most of the people I have added. Entries are posted in the interest of history and genealogy, and the hope that someone will add my ancestors (Applegate, Paladino, Krauter, Stahl, Bunting, Roninger (Ronocher), Hutchinson, Richardson, Coleman, Wilson, Flock, Tindall, Cornell, Ryder...).

Whenever possible, I research the memorials I have posted. I've subscribed to several pay sites, so I'm able to do research on them. I then put the information I've retrieved into story form. I hope this gives life to the people/families that have passed and helps the living with finding their ancestors.

For those of you who send me bios, obituaries, linkages, etc. . . THANK YOU! They are greatly appreciated. Please include the source of the information provided. If no source information is provided, I will list your contributor name/number as the source. (Update Dec 2024: I received a notification from Findagrave to not add who contributed the information to a memorial due to privacy issues, so I will no longer be listing the contributor name (just number), unless you specifically state that it is okay to do so).

You may post any information to the memorials I have made, including obituaries (please include the newspaper name and date), birth and death certificates (especially very old ones), marriage certificates, etc., since this will be very helpful information for any descendants who may be looking for their family. No need to ask for my permission.

I give my permission to anyone who wishes to use a photo of a headstone that I have taken.

I spend my time doing this primarily to help other genealogists. We are creating a new database of information for future historians.

If I have made a mistake, please let me know and I'll correct it.

I started photographing the Merced Cemetery District in Merced, California, starting in 2007. At that time, less than 300 memorials had been posted to this cemetery. Before I moved away in 2018, I had completed the following sections: Knights of Pythias, God's Acre, Masonic, Masonic 1A, Chinese, County (Potter's Field), and Asphodel (Old & New). I had partially completed Garden of Flora (completed 2021), Garden of Angels (not completed) and Faith Gardens (not completed). When I occasionally return to Merced, I try to take more photos and post them.

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