Friday, June 3, 2022

Ancestry owns Find A Grave

Some things about Find A Grave have always been annoying (I say always, but mean "since I have become aware of the site.")

The minority that treats the site as a place to count "trophies" is obnoxious, and their attitude to folks who suggest corrections, or who request transfers often is extremely irritating. 

More serious is the group that rushes to post new deaths. We all realize that newspaper obituaries and on-line lists on the sites of funeral homes can be a source of very early indications of deaths. A family which wants to consult with relatives for funeral arrangements or one which has personal reasons to delay a publication of the death can be blind-sided when their late relative's name surfaces on Find A Grave; further, they will have no say in how the posting appears.

Below is a link to a blog by Judy Russel, "The Legal Genealogist". She points out the gaps in the solution advanced by Find A Grave's parent company, Ancestry to this problem. I urge you to read Judy's blog, and to express your reaction to the executives at Ancestry.

 Judy G. Russell, “Ancestry, this one’s on you,” The Legal Genealogist (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : posted 31 May 2022).

Alan H Zeller