Sandy PatakProfessional GenealogistSandy is a professional genealogist that started surveying and photographing tombstones while searching her own family tree. Today, she plans out survey trips, helps other find thei Ancestor information and owner of Ancestry Journey, genealogical services.
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About UsI started surveying, documenting and photographing cemeteries as a part of my own genealogy research. Many of my friends and family members thought I was completely insane to go walk a cemetery. It really is not as odd as it seems. As a child, one of my Grandmothers lived on "Cemetery Street" alongside a very large cemetery. It seemed natural to walk on the paths through the cemeteries to get to the other part of town.
When I started seeking out burial locations of my Ancestors, I had several people ask me to place flowers on their Ancestor's graves, take a photo of their tombstone or try to find it. It became more and more frequent. So much so, that I enlisted the help of my husband, Mike. Then, one day, my son, Nick, saw several military markers that were overgrown and forgotten. He jumped out of the truck, grabbed some gloves and immediately went about the task to de-weed and clean them. It has become a family experience. It is easy to walk a cemetery and snap a picture. It is also easy to be disrespectful while doing so. Admittedly, at first, I was on a task to find a grave and take a picture. Quickly, I discovered that I was not there to just snap a picture but to also honor those that are gone. I say a small prayer upon entering a cemetery thanking those that have gone before us and left their marks. I clean up around markers that have long been forgotten. You can even hear me introducing myself to my Ancestors if you walk along beside me. I do this in remembrance of those who were pioneers, farmers, soldiers, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. I proudly photograph their resting place as a sign of respect, love and faith that they will not be forgotten. They will be celebrated. |
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If you have any questions, concerns or wish for the full unedited photo of your Ancestor, please email us or complete the form.
This is a volunteer project. We ask for your patience for our response. Ancestry.com Profile Page (note: use the "Workboat Exploration" family tree for anceestors within these pages)
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PHOTO POLICY:
You have our permission to use any *tombstone* photograph within our website unless expressly noted otherwise. We do not have watermarks on any of our personally taken photos. We do require source credit with a link back to this website. WE DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR ENTIRE CEMETERY COLLECTIONS TO BE DOWNLOADED AND THEN UPLOADED ON OTHER WEBSITES (i.e. Find A Grave, WikiTree, Ancestry, Family Search, etc).
You have our permission to use any *tombstone* photograph within our website unless expressly noted otherwise. We do not have watermarks on any of our personally taken photos. We do require source credit with a link back to this website. WE DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR ENTIRE CEMETERY COLLECTIONS TO BE DOWNLOADED AND THEN UPLOADED ON OTHER WEBSITES (i.e. Find A Grave, WikiTree, Ancestry, Family Search, etc).