In my presentations about Fold3, I demonstrate how to search the 39 million Memorial pages devoted to veterans and others, not just from the US but from other countries as well. (NOTE: Fold3 is owned by Ancestry, which also owns FindaGrave. It acquired the UK-based Forces War Records last year, merging it into Fold3.)
Some local and state libraries (and some FamilySearch libraries) offer free access to Fold3, which is also available with an all-access Ancestry subscription. Or you can start a free 7-day trial here. Sign in to begin your search.
Start from home page
To check for any ancestors who might be represented in the Memorials, start at the bottom of Fold3 home page, where you'll see a red banner to Search all Memorials. (Shown in image at top.)
On the search page that comes next, you can select a country or US state, a war, and filter by name of your ancestor. If you just want to get a sense of what a Memorial looks like, browse the full list and select one to view.
Lt. James Vernon Goss
I viewed the Memorial for US Army Air Corps Lt. James Vernon Goss, who died when his plane was hit by enemy fire during WWII. Here's what his Memorial looks like, including a photo of Lt. Goss in his uniform. Details of his service are in the timeline at left.
I labeled a source link at right, which takes you to the Find a Grave page of Lt. Goss.
Also on the right is a section called "Partners" where a nonprofit is listed: Stories Behind the Stars, which encourages volunteers to research and write the stories of military men and women who died in the service of their country. I've bookmarked this site to explore later!
Getting in touch
The "owner" of Lt. Goss's Memorial, below the Partners heading, is a Fold3 member with the user name HideandSeek69.
She added the photo and info on the page, and she is the only person authorized to add to the Memorial.
Since her user name is blue, it's clickable. Go ahead and click!
Her member page shows all her contributions to Fold3. Over the years, she has written brief bios for dozens of service members and posted them on Fold3, with photos when available.
Now notice the red "contact me" button that's located below the member's name and start date. This is how you can get in touch with a member if you recognize one of the service members and want to exchange info.
Check for your ancestors
Follow this process to check Fold3 for any Memorials honoring your ancestors. Review the life events and photos posted, review any photos, and pay attention to the "owner" or authorized contributors so you can try to get in touch.
A Fold3 Memorial page might serve as cousin bait, as well as a very good way to memorialize an ancestor fallen in the line of duty.
