12 Ways to Use Gravestone Clues to Grow Your Family Tree
Cathy Wallace
Content
About this webinar
About the speaker
Key points and insights
Genealogical research often relies on records, archives, and family stories—but one of the richest and most underutilized resources lies in cemeteries. In the webinar “12 Ways to Use Gravestone Clues to Grow Your Family Tree”, Cathy Wallace of BillionGraves demonstrates how gravestones can unlock surprising details about ancestors. From GPS mapping to symbolic carvings, gravestones offer insights that can bridge gaps, confirm identities, and even open entirely new research paths. This engaging session blends practical tips with real-world examples, showing how every trip to the cemetery can advance your family history work.
Key Insights from the Webinar
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Beyond Names and Dates: Gravestones reveal much more than basic information. Clues such as nicknames, prefixes and suffixes, causes of death, occupations, or even fraternity affiliations can lead to new records and family connections.
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Mapping Family Networks: Through GPS-enabled tools like the BillionGraves app, genealogists can identify entire family plots, trace nearby burials, and connect gravestones with broader historical databases. These features transform cemetery visits into powerful research opportunities.
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Symbolism and Social Context: Symbols carved into headstones—whether lambs for children, wheat for a long life, or military insignia—offer cultural, religious, and social clues. Even the size or craftsmanship of a monument can reflect status, community ties, or historical events affecting the family.
This webinar is a reminder that gravestones are more than memorials—they are evidence, context, and storytelling tools that meet genealogical proof standards. Viewing the full webinar provides the opportunity to see practical demonstrations, discover research strategies tailored to different gravestone clues, and learn how to maximize free and premium BillionGraves features for deeper family history discoveries.
To take your research further, be sure to explore the additional resources included in the syllabus. They offer extended guidance and references that can help you apply these gravestone strategies to your own family history journey.
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Comments (95)
Enjoyed!!
Very good presentation. The syllabus is good and I could use it for taking notes (not many notes were needed since the syllabus was very detailed. Good conclusion to a good Webtember series.
I love cemeteries so this webinar was just right for me. Cathy was a wonderful presenter and offered many great tips!
It never ceases to amaze me how much I do NOT know. This presentation was amazing! It was so informative and I'm excited that the billiongraves app records GPS coordinates automatically!!! I always struggle to get those, so that is definitely something I will be using! Thank you again for such a great presentation!
The Gravestone webinar was Brilliant! Cathey in-a-word was "Captivating!" The content of the webinar and the video presentation was 100% synchronized to the attendees' level of understanding which allowed for easy translations. I was able to upload the application, A BillionGraves, as described by the presenter and began using it immediately, as described. Thank you for the afternoon of delightful education.
Best webinar I have ever attended. Perfect slides and explanation. Thanks for letting me attend!
This was W-A-A-A-A-Y-Y-Y more than I had anticipated! What a wonderful treasure trove of additional information and capabilities of BillionGraves.com! I can be much smarter now by fully utilizing the powers of this app!!
I have not been a regular Billion Graves user - I have a free account. Now I think I may need to try the subscription! Lots of features I was not aware of when I signed up years ago.