Now I'm My Great Aunt's Keeper

 

I've been updating the Find a Grave memorial pages for ancestors in my direct line and their siblings/spouses. Above is the photo I posted on my great aunt's memorial a few years ago. This week, I decided to ask to be manager of this and other memorial pages so I can edit without waiting for the current manager to approve my suggestions. I already managed my great uncle's memorial, but had not yet asked to be my great aunt's keeper.

Ask for the Transfer

As shown above, when I asked for my great aunt's memorial to be transferred to me, I received an automated response. It turns out that Find a Grave was the current manager of the memorial created for Anna Gelbman Schwartz (1886-1940). I can be the memorial's manager if I agree to (1) respond respectfully to edit requests and (2) transfer the memorial to another relative if asked. 

Most memorials aren't managed by Find a Grave, and usually I have to wait for a response. Some managers ask me how I'm related to the person being memorialized, which is why my standard request begins by saying..."Please be kind enough to transfer the ownership of memorial #___ to me, because [___insert name___] is my [insert relationship here]." 

In this case, however, Find a Grave immediately and automatically implemented the transfer when I clicked to accept the terms of the agreement.

Great Aunt Anna Was Much Loved

Born in Bridgeport, CT, my great aunt Anna married at the age of 23 to my great uncle Samuel (Simon) Schwartz (1883-1954). The photo in the memorial shown above was taken in 1909, the year of their marriage. Anna and Sam and their two sons moved from Bridgeport to New York City, where she was a beloved part of the Schwartz family from the very start. She was a warm, loving presence, I've been told by an older relative who knew her well.

Unfortunately, Anna was struck down by cancer at the age of 54. She was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Saddle Brook, NJ, where I've visited her grave alongside that of her husband, Sam.

Now that I'm my great aunt's keeper, I posted a brief bio, added specific day/month/year birth and death dates, and linked her to her parents as well as her husband. I'm about to link the couple's two sons and draft brief bios for them, too.

Do You Want to Become a Keeper?

Are you the manager of your ancestors' memorials? Are they already on Find a Grave? If you don't already manage the memorials of key ancestors, you can easily request a transfer under the "suggest edits" menu. You might not want to manage every ancestor under the sun, but do consider managing those in your direct line.

If your key ancestors are not currently listed on Find a Grave, please consider adding them and posting a few details about their lives. This is great cousin bait, by the way, especially if you post a portrait of an ancestor to catch the viewer's eye.

By becoming the keeper of ancestral memorials, you can individualize each one and honor their memory in your own way. I'm proud to be my great aunt's keeper!