WESTLOCK — Researching family history and local genealogy just got a little bit easier, thanks to the BillionGraves project.
BillionsGraves, the world's largest resource for searchable GPS cemetery data, is an app and a website where people can search uploaded photos and information on graves or headstones in a particular cemetery.
“It could be for people doing genealogical research, wanting to know … birth dates, death dates or all kinds of information and also for people just looking for graves,” said Westlock Library assistant Kathryn Quist, who organized the event. “BillionGraves is an app. It’s been around for quite a few years now.”
Quist said she was researching programs for youth and teens at the library when she stumbled across the BillionGraves app and thought it would be an interesting and meaningful project for youth and even adults and families to participate in.
Once the project was approved by the library director and the board, she finalized details and arranged to gather interested participants on Sept. 11, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Westlock Cemetery to conduct a walkabout, take and upload photos of graves to the BillionGraves app.
About 20 people participated and took more than 1,500 photos of graves and headstones said Quist, noting they were able to capture every single grave located at the Westlock Cemetery that evening.
“It’s very interesting. I really liked seeing when all these people died and the oldest people,” said nine-year old Katrina Reiten, who was participating with her mother Jill, father Kristian and 11-year old brother Robert, who added the event was a learning opportunity for the family. “I think it’s special to see all the people who died from Westlock,” he said.
Another participant, Dorothy Imes, said it was “important that people get to know where their relatives are, who they and have their records correct,” said Imes. “People can come and pay their respects.”
Deborah Forbes said it was her first time hearing about the BillionGraves app and first time helping out with such a project.
“I think it’s a wonderful project. The more sources we have to get information for our genealogy the better,” said Forbes. “It’ll be interesting to see when they’re all uploaded how many there actually are.”
BillionGraves also has a website (www.billiongraves.com) which states “our goal is to preserve precious records found in cemeteries throughout the world. We use modern technology to capture images of headstones with their GPS locations so users worldwide can access those records anywhere.”
People can download the BillionGraves app, take photos of graves and headstones at a nearby cemetery, using a smartphone or a tablet. The app captures the GPS location automatically and in doing so, records of headstones and graves are preserved, and people can search for relatives and loved ones.
Quist said there is also another component on the app, that they did not complete Sept. 11, but may do so later, as part of a second project. It involves transcribing information on the graves into the BillionGraves database so that people can search for specific information such as names, dates of birth or locations. If approved, the second project would run throughout the winter.
For more information or to participate in the second BillionGraves project contact Kathryn Quist at (780) 349-3060.
