Sure! Here’s the translated text in American English:
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On the occasion of All Saints’ Day, the genealogy platform Geneanet has launched the initiative “Save Our Graves,” focused on preserving a funerary heritage that is at risk of disappearing. Each year, approximately 200,000 graves in Europe are removed due to abandonment, neglect, or lack of maintenance. This proposal aims to conserve not only family history but also the cultural value of cemeteries.
Since its launch over ten years ago, the initiative has benefited from the collaboration of 32,000 volunteers in more than 100 countries, successfully digitizing over 7.5 million graves. Interested citizens can participate by photographing and indexing headstones through the free Geneagraves app, available for iOS and Android devices. The captured images are synced with Geneanet’s database, allowing anyone to locate a loved one’s grave or help document historic cemeteries.
The initiative isn’t limited to cemeteries; it also addresses the documentation of monuments, plaques, and memorials, many of which are related to wars and social movements. In Spain, volunteers have begun creating a digital mapping project that records these sites in various cities and towns, making valuable information accessible to researchers and families interested in the past.
Christophe Becker, president of Geneanet, emphasizes the value of cemeteries as “museums of history and funerary art.” According to him, digitizing these spaces not only preserves individual memory but also helps maintain a part of Europe’s historical landscape.
All Saints’ Day, deeply rooted in Spanish culture, is an opportune time to remember loved ones who have passed and reflect on the importance of memory. At Geneanet, they stress that, in addition to honoring the deceased, the digital preservation of graves and monuments is a modern way of passing family history on to future generations.
With over 5 million registered members and 2 million family trees created, Geneanet has established itself as the largest collaborative genealogy database platform in Europe. Founded in 1996 by family history enthusiasts, it combines an interest in genealogy with digital technology, providing broad access to the past of families and communities.
via: MiMub in Spanish
