Local history buffs can also join the City of Plymouth on its annual Parkers Lake Cemetery tour. Photo: Alyse Midthun
Family historians can discover valuable details about their ancestors through Find a Grave, a crowdsourced website that includes records from hundreds of thousands of cemeteries, including nine in Plymouth.
The website, findagrave.com, allows users to search millions of memorial pages that often include birth and death dates, family links, photographs of headstones and biographical notes, all contributed by volunteers. Many entries include GPS plot information and cemetery maps. Researchers can also explore connected family members through linked memorials, creating a clearer picture of family lines.
Aside from the website being a great place to start a family history project, it can also be fun to help document a local cemetery. Many local cemeteries and grave markers still need to be documented. A smartphone, a Find a Grave account and a trip to your local cemetery are all that is needed to pitch in.
Ryan Barland is the historic site coordinator for the City of Plymouth. Discover more at history.plymouthmn.gov.
