About the Project
In 20XX, Dr. Perry Sprawls of Black Mountain, NC, began an effort to work with families to create permanent memorials of those who have passed on, before memories of them are lost forever.
As Dr. Sprawls wrote, “A long-time Christian tradition is to have cemeteries and columbary associated with the Church building as a final physical resting place for members who have passed on. This symbolizes that the deceased remain part of the Church through the whole journey of life—from baptism and worship to death, burial, and remembrance. The Church continues to care for them by providing a sacred resting place–a place where families can visit, grieve, remember loved ones, and find comfort in familiar church surroundings. But gravestones and plaques often only include names and dates, and not much more. Now congregations have an opportunities to preserve and provide connections to the lives of those who have passed on, regardless of their physical final resting place. These memorials can be visited online from anywhere in the world. These memorials are the elements of a Church’s preserved heritage.”
Dr. Sprawls continued, “It is a reality that the memories in my mind are perhaps the last remaining comprehensive records of many of these lives, and that they will eventually be gone forever. There will be some official records including birth and death certificates which provide facts but not the stories of the lives as I remember. Published obituaries might contain some biographical information but the focus is more on dying than living. Fortunately, now with modern technology and the internet ,I can use my memories along with some other resources, especially family pictures, to create permanent memorials that will be available to others, even after the memories in my mind are lost for ever. An effective memorial is not an obituary, it is a comprehensive story of a person’s life, especially as remembered by others, and links to the memorials of other deceased family members and ancestors.
Example Memorials
Glenn Quince Bannerman (1927-2020) – Find a Grave Memorial
Charlotte Edith Williams Sprawls (1935-2023) – Find a Grave Memorial
How to Create an Online Memorial
To create an online memorial, first create an account with findagrave.com.
After registering, you can contribute memories and upload photographs to an existing memorial or add memorials.
Creating a Church Database
FindAGrave groups memorials by burial site. Congregations could consider creating their own listing on their church website of church members who have passed on, regardless of burial location. Dr. Sprawls has created an example of such a listing for Black Mountain Presbyterian Church.
For more information or guidance on creating memorials or creating a church listing of memorials, contact Perry Sprawls (sprawls@emory.edu).