The city of Jefferson could save hundreds of dollars in putting cemetery management software online thanks to the Greene County Genealogical Society.
The city council at its Oct. 11 meeting approved the purchase of Grave Discover® for the two city-owned cemeteries. Grave Discover creates a database of gravesites that can be searched anywhere there’s internet access. Cost is $500 initially and $100 a month going forward. The unknown cost at the time was staff time it would take to enter information from the hard copy records at city hall into the computer program.
After learning of the purchase, members of the Genealogical Society approached city staff to alert them to the wealth of information they already have available and through the Find-A-Grave® program. City staff and council members Harry Ahrenholtz and Dave Sloan, who serve on the council’s cemetery committee, were unaware of the extensive research and cataloging of graves the Genealogical Society has completed.
In a model of cooperation and collaboration, Society members Arlene Johnson, Shirley Clark, Shirley Ross, Ada Ross and Sharlene Ford met Tuesday morning with Ahrenholtz and Sloan and city staff Vicky Lautner (cemeteries are part of the park and recreation department Lautner heads), Mike Palmer, Diane Kennedy and Roxanne Gorsuch.
Also at the meeting was Austin Scott of Carroll, one of the developers of Grave Discover.
“You’re talking about doing all of this, and we’ve got it right here,” Society president Arlene Johnson said after hearing of the expense of entering data into the program.
A demonstration of the Grave Discover software showed the usefulness to be twofold. The general public can easily learn the location of graves and basic information about the deceased. That information is on Find-A-Grave.
The added feature of Grave Discover is the administrative portion that provides digital recordkeeping of ownership of the gravesites. Records can be easily sorted to show what gravesites are available for sale, which are sold but not “occupied,” and who is buried in the occupied sites. The software can also record transfers of ownership.
Society member Shirley Ross has the Word files listing the graves at both Jefferson cemeteries. It is available from the Society in hard copy at a cost of $40, but Ross offered her Word file to the city. Scott said the data can probably be exported into the Grave Discover database, saving considerable staff time in data entry.
“We’ll gladly help in any way we can because we’ve got the work done,” Johnson said, but added that it was frustrating that no one from the city had contacted them first to learn what information they had. “We’ve put so much into this sort of research, and it seems no one even knows we’re here,” she said.
The local Grave Discover webpage can be customized and includes an “About” space. In recognition of the Genealogical Society’s contribution of information, the Genealogical Society and its contact information will be listed there, along with a live link to the group’s website. “This can actually enhance what the Genealogical Society does and give it more visibility,” Ahrenholtz said.
The cost of the software is being paid for with Grow Greene County Gaming Corporation funds. Clerk Kennedy said the software is “invaluable” for people who manage cemeteries.
Genealogical Society members were very interested in ways to draw all cemeteries in the county to Grave Discover, noting it would be a way to preserve and keep current the cemetery records maintained by township clerks.
