Stone Stories

Explore Family Headstones in the Cemetery

GO BACK to the main Expedition Night page.

Remember: Any time you need help or resources, go to the FamilySearch center.

As you go about your adventures, remember to upload a few photos to the slideshow - we'll return to the church at 7:30 for ice cream sandwiches and to watch that slideshow!

Important note: The first step of this requires you to find your relatives in a cemetery. The FamilySearch app does not have this feature - so open FamilySearch in your web browser instead. It will keep asking if you want to open the app - but don't fall for that!

1. See which ancestors are in nearby cemeteries.

   • Visit the "see what cemeteries your relatives are in" page. Click here or go to FamilySearch.org → ≡ (note: This is at the top right of your screen. I've got a screenshot below) → Activities → All Activities → Cemetery Search. Note that you must be logged in to see the cemetery search!

   • FamilySearch also has a "cemeteries search" under Search. That's not it. You want the one described above instead.

2. Search for Brigham City, Box Elder County, Utah, United States

   • Start typing "Brigham City" and it will pop up for you to click on.

   • That will get you the nearby cemeteries. There isn't time to go far tonight - if the nearest relative is farther than Perry, you probably need to pick a different activity.

3. Finding the Grave

   • You can find the graves with BillionGraves (but only if you purchase a $25/year subscription) or FindAGrave (but only if the GPS coordinates have been entered. Most haven't). Both are linked from the Church website.

   • But it's free to find graves on the website Names in Stone (Hint: zoom WAY out to see the location of the grave in the cemetery, then zoom in when you get closer).

4. Learn from the Stones

   • It's good to see what information you can get from a headstone - and every headstone is different!

   • With your family, look at the names and dates - and then look for more than those simple facts. Headstones can tell you about family relationships.
     For example, a shared stone might reveal a spouse you didn't know about, or a row of small markers might indicate children who died young. Inscriptions sometimes include birthplaces, military service, or fraternal organizations. There may be an image of the temple they were married in or separate marriage and sealing dates.
     Discuss together what you can learn from the stones.

5. How can I read a damaged headstone?

   • This site will tell you some ways to read headstone information without risking damage.

The place to open the Activities menu on a phone is circled in red in this image.