Q: How can volunteers accurately document these veterans, given unreadable stones, missing markers, or misidentified graves?
Krista: That’s a really good point, and you’re absolutely right - not every veteran will have a clearly marked, readable, or even existing gravestone. Some graves may never have had a marker, and others might be worn beyond recognition. That’s why this project isn’t about “verifying patriot status” or confirming service records in the field.
Joe: What we’re really aiming for is to capture what’s physically there today, readable or not. Even if a stone only has a partial name or a war marker with no date, that’s valuable data for future researchers. And if you do a little digging and find, for example, that a marker might be for someone born decades after the Revolution, we still appreciate that information too. You can leave notes or context in the Survey123 app submission form so it can be reviewed later.
Krista: The end result of this project won’t be perfect — and it’s not meant to be a final, definitive list. It’s a current photographic and location-based snapshot of known and suspected graves. Every contribution helps paint a clearer picture, even if it raises new questions along the way.