Welcome to the IAGenWeb Gravestone Photo Project!  The mission of this project is to capture digital images of gravestones of our ancestors, many stones that as decades pass are becoming harder, if not impossible, to read the inscriptions they originally contained. And by archiving the images, to also assist researchers with common ancestors make connections through this venue. 

Do the photos you submit need to be your ancestors? Not at all. It is hoped that volunteers with a digital camera or a scanner and a desire for exercise and public service will be active contributors. In those cases, it might be desirable to ask us to omit their email address to avoid genealogical queries. If you have questions, just ask! The procedure is really simple and intuitive, but for those who want more details . .  read on.

Let's get started!
 

Submitting a Gravestone Photo

Here's what you need:
  • Photos - a scanned or digital photo of the Gravestone of an individual buried in Iowa.
  • County - you must know the county where the individual is buried.
  • Cemetery Names - you must know the Cemetery in which they are buried.
 
1. Go to the Submit Page:

Look for one of two links to Submit a Photo . . . 

OR
2. Fill in the Submit Form Fields


County: Select the desired county from the drop down box. Nearly all of Iowa's 99 counties are participating in this project. If you do not find a particular county listed, you may wish to contact the IAGenWeb Gravestone Photo Project Coordinator and let them know you would like to see that county participate.
 
Cemetery Name: Place only the name of the cemetery in this box. Not the location . . which can be added in the comment area if needed. Nor should you include the word "Cemetery" as it is automatically added by the program.

Quantity of Names: Use the drop down box to select the number of names on this stone being submitted.

Name Fields: Fill in the Surname, First Name and optional Maiden Name boxes if known.

Comments: Feel free to include comments you feel appropriate in the Comment area of the form. This might include a transcription of a hard to read stone, or the fact that the individual was a Revolutionary or Civil War Veteran, as examples. Should you wish that your email address NOT appear as the contributor, the comment area is the place to let us know.
  

4. Guidelines for Photos

Gravestone Photos should be of ".jpg" or ".jpeg" format.  The dimensions of the original photo does not matter, but the photo file size must be under 1500k.  Ideally pictures are cropped to emphasize the stone and inscription prior to uploading.

Uploaded photos are automatically resized to a standard height and width, and optimized for storage space conservation. The smaller the file size the quicker they will upload for you.

Use the "Browse" button to locate and select the photo on your PC. Be sure the file matches the person whose grave you are documenting.

Click "Submit" when all information is entered and your photo is on it's way.
 

5. Cemetery Entrance Photos 

You may find it desirable to submit a view of a cemetery in general, such as an entrance rather than a specific stone. We've made provisions for this. Click on the "Cemetery Entrance" tab on the Submit page for these type of photos. Again, Please do not include the word 'Cemetery' in the Cemetery Name box as it is automatically inserted.

Please do include the name of the township in the "Township" field if known.

6. Now what?

 Your photo will not be displayed immediately as all submissions are reviewed first by the local county administrator to ensure the photos, cemetery names and other info are consistent with the mission of the project. In most cases, they will likely appear online within 24-48 hours. Please allow for special circumstances of illness or other situations that may result in a delay in approval. Please don't submit duplicate photos if they don't appear right away. If there is any question, feel free to drop the county administrator a note.
Thanks for contributing to the IAGenWeb Gravestone Photo Project!