The Tombstone Project

How The Tombstone Project works:

 

Arlington resident Larry Taylor decided to photograph all of the headstones in the Arlington and Marysville cemeteries, and to register them on the website www.FindaGrave.com. With the help of other photographers, over 6,000 photographs were taken in Arlington Cemetery alone.

 

When they discovered that 10% - 15% of the graves were unmarked, our volunteers took that as a call-to-action. This lead to the establishment of The Tombstone Project in early 2015.

 

After unmarked graves are identified, about ten hours of research go into verifying the information. Volunteers spend time analyzing obituaries, digital archives, and the cemetery log books. They also reach out to family members wherever they can be located. Complete accuracy is their goal.

 

After the correct person has been identified, the cemetery staff verifies the placement of the grave, and orders the installation of the marker.

 

The Tombstone committee authorizes a marker, complete with the person’s name, birth, and death dates. The stone is further identified with the letters “SVGS”, to indicate that the stone was placed by The Tombstone Project volunteers. The new markers are expected to last at least a century.

 

The Tombstone Committee believes in preserving history, and believes that every person deserves to be remembered. Because of this conviction, all investigative labor is done completely free-of-charge by volunteers.

 

Now the last phase of the project is starting: raising funds to cover the cost of the headstones and their installations. The Tombstone Project fundraising goals include the securing of grant monies as well as gathering donations.

 

Any donation to The Tombstone Project is tax deductible [SVGS is a 501(c) (3) organization] — and greatly appreciated!

 

Please send donations to: