Past: 'Rescuing Our Roots' project meeting

A meeting will be held on Sunday, April 30, at 11 a.m., for people interested in learning about preserving local history by documenting gravestones. The meeting will be held in the temporary building of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 1732 N. Kingshighway St. in Cape Girardeau.

Billion Graves, the world’s largest GPS-linked cemetery data resource has partnered with several organizations in a “Rescuing Our Roots” project where volunteers from around the world are documenting headstones in cemeteries by taking photos with their smartphones. The data is then transcribed by volunteers, plotted on cemetery maps, and made readily available at BillionGraves.com for millions of families around the globe for generations to come. The GPS-marked cemetery maps not only allow families to find their ancestor’s gravestones, but they also allow future volunteers to see exactly what has already been photographed.

Getting started is as simple as joining through a volunteer app – JustServe, and looking for the Rescuing Our Roots Project, or with a smartphone using the QR code on the accompanying flyer about the project. Groups of people who cannot make the Sunday meeting are encouraged to call Callie Hargiss at 636-209-3312 to schedule group training.