LCB
- Member for
- 5 years 5 months 29 days
- Find a Grave ID
Bio
Hello, and thank you for taking the time to read my bio.
I was born in Waterloo Iowa to families that pioneered the area. I have always had an interest in cemeteries. As I aged, I decided to get serious about my genealogy because those who could have told me had already passed. It is very important to me that my find a graves are accurate and easy to access for those who come after I pass.
The memorials I have on my account are all family members or stones that have been commissioned by a family member for me to clean, document and photograph for their claim to the grave.
Additionally I have created a group of local volunteers who preserve cemeteries and honor veterans in Black Hawk County, Iowa, documenting graves with GPS, creating flagging maps, cleaning and maintaining sites, and researching those interred. Many cemeteries have suffered flooding, vandalism, or neglect, leaving hundreds maybe thousands of veterans and pioneers without stones in Black Hawk County.
If you have received a request to edit from me and decline the suggestion based on lack of evidence, please understand; The VA does not provide service verification for 50 years post-death, and even then, a FOIA request is required to access records. Many women, people of color, immigrants, and others who served were historically overlooked or excluded from official recognition and some were born or and died in an era before vital records were required. Cemeteries reflect these societal divisions, with segregated areas still visible before and after World War II. Veterans include everyone—from Civil War nurses caring for soldiers on battlefields and at home, to codebreakers sworn to secrecy, to pioneers and immigrants who served alongside local troops. While they may not have been formally acknowledged in their lifetimes, they are veterans in spirit and contribution.
Our goal is recognition, not pensions—to flag these graves on Memorial Day, preserve their stories, and make them accessible for future generations. By making accurate records publicly available, we enable collaboration with local agencies, historical societies, veteran organizations, and the VA, helping replace missing markers and maintain cemeteries.
We are always accepting volunteers, from transcription to resetting and cleaning veterans' and pioneers' memorial stones. To volunteer, donate to our mission or collaborate, contact me at [email protected]
Respectfully,
Laura Benson
Hello, and thank you for taking the time to read my bio.
I was born in Waterloo Iowa to families that pioneered the area. I have always had an interest in cemeteries. As I aged, I decided to get serious about my genealogy because those who could have told me had already passed. It is very important to me that my find a graves are accurate and easy to access for those who come after I pass.
The memorials I have on my account are all family members or stones that have been commissioned by a family member for me to clean, document and photograph for their claim to the grave.
Additionally I have created a group of local volunteers who preserve cemeteries and honor veterans in Black Hawk County, Iowa, documenting graves with GPS, creating flagging maps, cleaning and maintaining sites, and researching those interred. Many cemeteries have suffered flooding, vandalism, or neglect, leaving hundreds maybe thousands of veterans and pioneers without stones in Black Hawk County.
If you have received a request to edit from me and decline the suggestion based on lack of evidence, please understand; The VA does not provide service verification for 50 years post-death, and even then, a FOIA request is required to access records. Many women, people of color, immigrants, and others who served were historically overlooked or excluded from official recognition and some were born or and died in an era before vital records were required. Cemeteries reflect these societal divisions, with segregated areas still visible before and after World War II. Veterans include everyone—from Civil War nurses caring for soldiers on battlefields and at home, to codebreakers sworn to secrecy, to pioneers and immigrants who served alongside local troops. While they may not have been formally acknowledged in their lifetimes, they are veterans in spirit and contribution.
Our goal is recognition, not pensions—to flag these graves on Memorial Day, preserve their stories, and make them accessible for future generations. By making accurate records publicly available, we enable collaboration with local agencies, historical societies, veteran organizations, and the VA, helping replace missing markers and maintain cemeteries.
We are always accepting volunteers, from transcription to resetting and cleaning veterans' and pioneers' memorial stones. To volunteer, donate to our mission or collaborate, contact me at [email protected]
Respectfully,
Laura Benson
