All of my memorials are created with the utmost respect for the deceased and their families. My intention is to preserve gravestones, which are valuable sources of genealogical and historical information, and whose importance, especially here in Italy, is unrecognized, as burials are not permanent and are removed after a certain period of time.

If anyone feels uncomfortable with the publication of a photo or a memorial, I will gladly remove it upon request.

∼BURIAL UNKNOWNS

Find-a-Grave allows (although it doesn't encourage) the creation of "burial unknown" memorials. Who am I to refuse to link a person to their parents or spouses just because the burial is unknown? Moreover, using this pattern is counterproductive, as it encourages people to create memorials with incorrect burial details just to get the link.

A hilarious thing I saw was a contributor refusing to link, but when I checked his contributions, he had a large number of memorials he had CREATED with burial unknowns.

ITALIAN WOMEN NAMING CONVENTION

In Italy and in many other European countries, women retain their maiden names throughout their lives; they do not legally take their husband's surname upon marriage. Therefore, if a woman has always lived in Italy, I will list her under her legal (maiden) last name.

USE OF "MRS."

I see no reason to add the prefix "Mrs." in front of a woman's name. The only case where this should be acceptable is when the woman's given name is unknown, but her husband's name is recorded (f.e. "Mrs. John Smith").

NAMES OF IMMIGRANTS

Many Italian immigrants (as well as those from other countries) chose to anglicize their names and surnames after arriving in the United States, both to assimilate more easily and to simplify names that might have seemed difficult to pronounce.

Both the birth name and the anglicized name are valid and legal, as they appear on official documents.

I've noticed that some people enter the original surname in the "maiden name" field, but this would be incorrect, since that field should only be used for those who change their surname after marriage.

In my opinion, to avoid duplication of memorials, the most accurate approach is to list individuals under the name that appears on the headstone (whether it's the birth name or the anglicized one) or, if there is no marker, under the name recorded in cemetery records.

The alternate version of the name can then be mentioned in the biographical section of the memorial.