I only became a Find-a-Grave contributor in 2021. However, I have over 30 years experience critiquing policies, report writing, information gathering, etc. at a large academic institution.

I've visited cemeteries in Canada, Germany, Scotland, and the U.S.A. as well as several Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemeteries in France, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands.

Please do not transfer memorials to me for management without my permission.

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FOR MEMORIALS THAT I MANAGE - PLEASE DO THE FOLLOWING:

For the rank of 'Private' for Canadian veterans, use the abbreviation 'Pte' (not 'PVT') per the following government website:

• https://veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/books-remembrance/units-orders-ranks-and-decorative-pages-books-remembrance

If requesting edits/comments to the memorial, include the source of the information either in 'notes to the memorial manager' or in the 'bio information'.

When a plot # is known but there is no visible headstone (tombstone, gravestone, etc.) and/or no inscription for the individual (maybe there never was one or it is now covered by sod):

• A photo of the actual burial location is still helpful.
• In that case, add a caption to the photo indicating e.g., 'No visible inscription for person X at the plot indicated.'
• Thank you very much to those who temporarily placed an item (e.g., artificial flower or a sign) at the grave location prior to taking the photo. Including a bit of the surrounding area of the plot in the photo (e.g., grassy plot flanked by other tombstones) gives context to the photo confirming that the photo was taken at the actual cemetery/plot and not just a random photo of grass.

Do not post photos of obituaries, birth/death registrations, interment records, or news articles without my permission, or without source information. In most cases I prefer to add those relevant details, including the source information, as 'text' in the 'Bio Information' for the individual.

Do not post photos of tombstones/gravestones (or of people) that have been copied from other websites including photos that you found on genealogy websites (e.g., Ancestry, Family Search, etc.) or other headstone websites. Doing so violates policies. For example, see:

• 'The Terms of Use' for the 'BILLIONGRAVES': https://billiongraves.com/terms-of-use
• 'Photo Permissions' for the 'CANADAGENWEB': https://cemetery.canadagenweb.org/faq/#permissions

Do not use chalk etc. to better highlight tombstone inscriptions for photos. See Find-a-Grave policies about photos:

• https://support.findagrave.com/s/article/Questions-about-Photos

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Last updated: Jan. 29, 2026.