Oakley Methodist Cemetery | Where I Started

Before I jumped into planning a documentation event and inviting volunteers to help me, I knew that I needed to learn how to use the BillionGraves app. I learn best by doing, so my mom and I downloaded the app to our smartphones and set off for the closest cemetery, the Oakley Methodist Cemetery in Needmore, Pennsylvania.

The cemetery is enclosed by a fence and maintained by the family who owns the property. The church is no longer there, but the cemetery is accessible and contains not quite 100 burial sites. The oldest monument dates back to 1868.

Between September 12 and 20, 2020, we visited Oakley three times and documented all the headstones and markers. On our final visit, we even discovered two surface markers that had been overgrown with grass and were no longer visible. One of the family members stopped by to ask if we needed help. When we pointed out the two newly discovered markers, the family member assured us that the overgrowth would be cleared away and the markers would be properly maintained.

Documenting Oakley was a great learning experience! I became accustomed to using the BillionGraves app and realized how important it is to take photos with just the right amount of light so that the engraved information is visible and legible for the Beneficiary's transcription volunteers to accurately transcribe. I learned how to keep shadows out of the pictures, too. We contributed 125 photos for our efforts. Click here to view the BillionGraves webpage for Oakley Methodist Cemetery.

Documentation Dates: September 12-20, 2020

Images Contributed: 125