A central mission of the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Geneal ogists (ICAPGen) is “to advance family history/geneal ogy work around the world by accrediting and promoting geneal ogy professionals who are competent, ethical, and reliable.” We have made great strides in mentoring, testing, and accrediting geneal ogy professionals in recent years.
Many do not realize that another part of the ICAPGen mission is “to work to promote the preservation of geneal ogical materials.” Accordingly, we have something exciting to announce…
“Whispers from the Dust” – A Cemetery Grant Program
Cemeteries have always been essential to geneal ogical research. Unfortunately, headstones, paper burial records, and maps are especially vulnerable to time and elements, and every year more and more are permanently lost. These important records – both maps and burial data – need not be lost forever; technology exists to safeguard them for future generations and make them available to researchers today.
Imagine making a “virtual” visit to a cemetery with an online map that identifies each grave individually. Imagine clicking on that grave and viewing birth, death, spouse, marriage, and military information along with a headstone photo. Now, imagine zooming out and identifying everyone buried in adjacent graves. Integrated mapping and data will help solve geneal ogical puzzles that could not be solved with mere headstone transcriptions. Off-site backup of digital records safeguard them for future generations.
This exciting and innovative technology is all part of the “Whispers from the Dust” cemetery grant program.
ICAPGen, as a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, will work with cemeteries that can benefit from a grant to modernize their mapping and data systems. Cemeteries of all sizes will be invited to apply for a grant that will cover up to 90% of the cost of the project. This will be a welcome opportunity for many cemeteries that recognize a need to update and preserve their records but lack the necessary funding. Maps and data from these projects will be uploaded to a central website, easily and freely available to all geneal ogy researchers. Visit http://www.namesinstone.com/ to see how the maps and data will be shared online.
We invite you visit http://www.icapgen.org/ for more information, and to learn how you might participate in this program.
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