NEW TNMCorps Mapping Challenge! Cemeteries in Southeast Missouri!

The labels on the map below indicate which counties are participating. As you can see, there are plenty of unedited (red) cemeteries that need editing.

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Not Sure What Each Point Color Means? 

These border colors are part of our tiered editing system and indicate which tier the point has passed through:

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Our November 2018 newsletter has an article titled Editor Roles and Point Colors that describes this process further.  

Tips and Tricks for Editing Cemeteries  

The primary changes that we ask our volunteers to look for when editing cemeteries are:  

1. Does the cemetery have the correct name? 
2. Is the point in the correct location? 

Confirm Names with Authoritative Sources 

• Remember to confirm all features with an authoritative source. 
• Common authoritative sources for cemeteries include local genealogy sites, Find A Grave, and the Historical Topo layer in the web editor. 
• Note that the Historical Topo layer may not always include the name of the cemetery. See the Closer Look at the Layers List article in our July 2019 newsletter for more on the Historical Topo layer. 

Proper Point Placement 

• When editing cemeteries, be sure to zoom in all the way and, if necessary, click-and-drag to center the point on the cemetery.   
• Check out the Aerial Imagery Interpretation Part 1: Cemeteries article in our September 2017 newsletter for tips on how to identify cemeteries in aerial photography. 
• The Historical Topo Layer is another helpful resource for cemetery placement. 

What if I can’t locate an existing cemetery?  

• Can’t locate an existing cemetery? Think twice before deleting it!  Many times, older cemeteries exist in forests or overgrown brush and are difficult to spot in aerial photography.   
• Only delete cemeteries if you have documentation that a cemetery has been relocated or destroyed.  
• Check out the Cemetery Research and Guidance article in our September 2019 newsletter for tips on how to confirm these hard-to-locate cemeteries.   
• This Q&A post about Deleting Cemeteries provides additional insight. 

What about Addresses? 

Addresses are an optional field for all our points, especially cemeteries.  If a street address exists, we encourage volunteers to add this information.  However, many cemeteries do not have an exact street address.  In these scenarios, entering cross streets or the closest street is acceptable.   

• Do not use an exact address from commercial mapping services. Only enter exact addresses that come from authoritative sources (e.g., genealogy websites, Find A Grave, church websites, etc.) 
• See Table 1 in our Name and Address Formatting Guide for more on how to format cemetery addresses.   
• These Q&A posts discuss cemetery addresses further:   
  1. Cemetery Address 
  2. County Road Address Format 

Additional Tips and Tricks 

• Our September 2020 newsletter highlights additional tips and tricks for cemeteries in its Blast from the Past Part 2 article.   
• Several other Q&A posts also outline tips and tricks for cemeteries:  
  1. Should a "destroyed" cemetery be deleted?
  2. Is there a preferred format for church cemetery names?
  3. Cemetery with extra point for a single gravesite
  4. New name for cemetery

As always, reach out to us at nationalmapcorps@usgs.gov with questions. Thanks for all that you do, and happy mapping!