Fequently Asked Questions

What is the gravestone photographic resource project?

The gravestone photographic resource project is an attempt to provide a much needed on-line genealogical resource for family historians.

The project aims are as follows:

1. to digitally photograph grave monuments that are currently legible
2. to extract all legible personal information (name, age, date of birth, date of death, relationship) from each image
3. to publish all legible personal information on an internet database and make this data freely available
4. to email copies of any grave monument image free of charge to anyone requesting a copy
5. to lodge at appropriate public record offices collections of images appropriate to that area
6. to encourage local groups to maintain, photograph and record grave monuments
7. to cover cemeteries throughout the world
8. to form partnerships with other organisations or persons that hold grave monument photographs

TOP

How often is the index updated?

The index is updated with new cemeteries at least once a week although over the last year there has been three new cemetery every two days!

These updates take the form of adding new information to the internet database. Once information has been added to this database it is immediately available to anyone using this site.

Because of this site is designed around a powerful database, every index on the site is always up-to-date.

To see what has been recently added to the site, look at the whats new page.

TOP

Can I get a copy of a tombstone memorial photograph?

Yes, you can get copies of individual photographs.

No charge is made for the images that are sent out. However, by making a donation you would help fund the project.

For more details have a look at our order a photograph page.

TOP

Why are there so few photographs for some churchyards?

Although most churchyards and cemetaries contain many graves, often only a small proportion have monuments. Out of this small proportion of graves that actually have monuments, usually less than 50% are readable.

Monuments become illegible because of a number of different factors:

• Water errosion - cause by rainfall
• Frost damage
• Plant damage - usually by lichen
• Polution - acidic rain dissolving alkaline rock
• Vandalism - this is increasingly common in some towns

The fact that grave monuments become illegible over time is a major reason why this project is so important.

Some cemeteries listed within the resource only have a very few images listed because these are ones that individuals have collected for their own family history and then donated them to the Gravestone Photographic Resource.

TOP

How can I find out if there are any entries in the resource for a particular name?

You can search the resources database for all the entries for a particular name by typing the name into the box below and pressing the FIND FAMILY REFERENCES button. This search facility is available on the top menu on all pages.

TOP

How can I see if there are different spellings of a name held within the resource?

You can see a list of all the surnames held within the resource by using the A - Z feature which is on the main menu at the top of every page.

For instance, if you want to see what versions of the name Ablett are stored within the database, just press the A on the main menu and all the surnames within the resource starting with A will be displayed.

This feature is particularly useful to look for names that sound very similar but are spelt differently. For instance, the names Nichol and Nickle occur on graves close to each other in the churchyard at Cappagh, County Tyrone, Ireland. It is very likely that these two families are related and the different versions of the names are just the result of the different stone masons version of spelling the name.

TOP

How can I help the gravestone photographic resource project?

You can help the project by either:

1. giving some of your time by becoming a volunteer.
2. persuade someone else into becoming a volunteer.
3. giving financial support by making a donation.

TOP

Why are there no cemeteries from my area indexed?

The project has over 800 volunteers all around the world although the majority of them are in England.

You can see a full list of countries by looking at the countries page.

If there are no cemeteries listed within the GPR then it is most likely because we do not have any volunteers in that particular area. To expand the coverage of the project we need more volunteers or partner websites.

TOP

Why do the dates on the index not match the dates I already know about?

The dates on the index are obtained from the monuments themselves. Often the age given on a monument is an estimate made by the surviving relatives.

Another reason why the dates may be inaccurate is that the monument may be worn or damaged and the age or date of death is what the person indexing it believes it to be.

Finally the reason the dates are incorrect could be because the stonemason made a mistake. This happens even today - a recent grave monument list the deceased as dying ten years in teh future!

TOP

Why are there not more records for gravestones from some cemeteries after 1901?

Because of the huge scale of the project, it was decided that for the initial stage only monuments for people born before 1901 would be photographed and indexed.

In some cases, however, volunteers have included other monuments. Where they have been include it is usually because:

1. The monument is in poor condition.
2. The monument is of particular interest.

The scope of the project has now been extended to accept any legible grave monuments.

TOP

Why are there no dates on some records?

The names against each monument are those that occur on that particular monument.

Often, the monument gives the names of the deceases spouse or parents. This information is particularly useful for researchers tracing family trees.

However, sometimes monuments are in such poor condition that the dates cannot be read. These monuments have been included within the index as researchers can use these clues to do further checks against parish records.

TOP

How can I found out who else is researching families within a particular cemetery?

A comment/feedback/help request feature is now available.

This feature allows visitors to add details of the families that they are currently researching. Whenever an entry is added there is the option to add a contact email address. This email address is NEVER shown on the website but is used to securely email the person.

When a family name is given then the comment/feedback/help request will be displayed whenever that family name page is displayed.

TOP

How can I get a particular cemetery added to the projects database?

The project keeps a list of graveyards that visitors to the site have expressed an interest in. Although the project will not guarentee to photograph and index a specific churchyard it uses this list whenever it plans its photographic sessions.

If you want the project to photograph and index a specific churchyard, let us know by using the contact us page.

TOP

How can I find out if anyone else has requested the photograph I am interested in?

All image request emails are stored in an archive.. If someone requests an image and has pressed the "yes" button, the request email archive is searched to see if anyone else has requested the same image and also pressed "yes".

The Gravestone Photographic Resource will never disclose someones details without their permission.

TOP

Why is there no charge?

The project was originally set up as a hobby and it was hoped that by not having a charge others would volunteer to help photograph and index cemeteries thoughout the United Kingdom and beyond. Although in the initial years of project there were few offers of help, there is now a dedicated set of volunteers.

It is a fundimental policy of the Gravestone Photographic Resource to never charge for any image it holds.

The project does however accept donations and these do help to cover the cost of providing the web site, online database, volunteer packs and other expenses.

TOP

Who owns the copyright of Gravestone Photographic Resource photos?

The photographs held by the Gravestone Photographic Resource (GPR) have been taken by volunteers and others who have then given their permission for GPR to distribute them. The copyright of these photographs belongs to the original photographer unless they have specifically given the copyright to the GPR.

The copyright holders allow GPR to distribute free copies of its photographs to given to anyone requesting a copy. The copyright holders extend a right of usage to those people obtaining the images through GPR for use in private publications of family history books (no more than 10 copies) or on the internet web site, provided no charge is made for access to the image either via subscription or a "pay as you go" basis. Such photographs should acknowledge that they were obtained through the GPR and acknowledge that the copyright belongs to a GPR volunteer. The GPR should be notified of any such publication.

GPR photographs may not be sold or used for commercial purposes without obtaining the written permission of the copyright holder through the GPR.

All images published on the GPR website are covered by its copyright.

TOP