There are many genealogists who volunteer their time and effort in order to assist projects that will be a useful resource for the entire genealogy community. A person can help transcribe data, or can help someone lookup the information they are searching for. Other people go into graveyards and transcribe the information that is on tombstones. Herb Schwede has volunteered a lot of time transcribing tombstones, and putting the information on the website FindAGrave.com.
Although Herb Schwede doesn’t consider himself to be an expert on genealogy, or on cemeteries, he has provided a wealth of information that is extremely valuable for genealogists. He has visited more than 360 cemeteries between Canada and Lake Sakakawea, between Towner and Montana, in eastern Minnesota, and in eastern Montana. Altogether, he has documented over around 70,000 grave sites. That is an incredible amount of work, especially for just one person! He is one of a group of genealogists who add their information to the FindAGrave website.
He puts the information on a website, which is called FindAGrave.com for interested genealogists to view. You can find over 50,000 of Schwede’s photographs of tombstones on this website. His photos have become a replacement for hand written notes about the grave sites. He will upload photos of a particular grave to the website if he has it, and if a family requests that he do so. If you are searching for a photo of one of your ancestor’s graves, you may want to contact Herb Schwede through that website. He responds to people through email.
Mr. Schwede describes his work as “an addiction”. I think many genealogists can relate to that feeling! Like many other genealogists, Herb Schwede’s time is taken up by employment. He is a school bus drive, a cattle rancher, and an employee at a farm that belongs to his cousin. He also is a sexton for Aurelia Cemetery, an assessor for Carbondale Township, and is on the Donnybrook Fire Department. He is also part of the board for the Mouse River Loop Genealogical Society Board.
His work documenting tombstones is extremely important for genealogists. Abandoned gravestones in older graveyards can be quickly overgrown by plants and weeds, making it difficult for a genealogist to locate the grave. All grave stones are subject to the wear and tear of nature. Some cemeteries have gone by different names over the years, making records difficult to consolidate. Herb Schwede is recording what can still be found, before it disappears.
Image by John Atherton on Flickr