Roy Stevely first joined Find a Grave® in 2020 during the initial lockdown in the time of COVID-19. Roy and his wife, Sylvia, live in Scotland. They often exercise by walking to the local graveyards. During these visits, he would put his photography hobby to good use by taking pictures of the family graves he discovered while researching his and his wife’s family history. This picture shows Roy at the Knockando Churchyard Cemetery.

Roy shared the following: “My hobby is photography. So once I discovered Find a Grave, it was a natural progression to start taking photographs during our visits. As the months went by, I expanded to not only family plots but taking as many photos as I could on each visit.”

Sylvia soon joined in. Roy remarks, “At first, Sylvia thought it was a strange hobby, but soon she also had the bug. We enjoy different aspects, so it suits us very well. She likes to tidy up [the graves] and have the memorials looking as good as she can make them, whilst I like to make sure the lighting is right for a good, clear image… It’s always a challenge, and it’s always worthwhile.”

Moving home to Scotland in recent years has allowed Roy “to explore local cemeteries in more detail. There are a number of very old graveyards. My favourite of these is St. Johns Churchyard. This cemetery is reached by walking along a track for about half a mile from the car park. It commands a spectacular view of the fishing village of Gardenstown and the surrounding cliffs. The site dates back to at least 1004 AD.” A picture of that cemetery is shown here. 

In addition to local cemeteries, Roy and Sylvia have worked on memorials in a wide range of places. In fact, Roy says that they have “covered a wide area in the northeast of Scotland within a 50-mile radius of home. We’ve also been on holiday in the Highlands and west coast of Scotland. We visited and photographed in Lanzarote, Portugal, Malta, France and England. Pretty much wherever we go, we’ll find a graveyard. So that list is not complete.”

When asked if one particular cemetery stood out to him. He wrote, “I don’t know that I have a favourite cemetery as such, but the most thought-provoking were located in Normandy and Brittany in France. One such cemetery is Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial.

Speaking of the cemeteries he has visited, Roy shared that it is “fascinating to see the differences in cemeteries across European countries. I guess it comes down to the varying types of soil and the availability of land. [Particularly in] Normandy and Brittany in France, hundreds of cemeteries contain the graves of the bravest of the brave who gave their lives in World War II. I visited many, from tiny village churchyards to the vast British and American war cemeteries.”

In addition to volunteering for Find a Grave, Roy volunteers with the “Eyes On Hands On” project for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. He joined this organization during the COVID lockdown. Speaking of this, Roy commented, “I report on the condition and help maintain the Commonwealth war graves scattered over hundreds of churchyards and cemeteries across the United Kingdom. We are assigned local cemeteries and try to visit at least twice a year. We have a report form to complete and can request memorials to receive maintenance if required. We also note down if we have cleaned the memorials. Most require at least a cursory clean each visit, but some require a more vigorous cleaning, particularly if they are sited under trees or bushes.” Furthermore, he observed, “I always enjoy finding relatives of any war graves that I manage, also if they are listed as Fallen in Action on family memorials, I try my best to track down where they have fallen and link the families that way.”

Pictured to the left is one of the other impressive war cemeteries that Roy has visited: Bayeux War Cemetery in Bayeux, Departement du Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France. 

While looking at different cemeteries Roy photographed, we came across this beautiful photo and had to point it out. It’s a graveyard that Roy photographed in 2022 named Saint Maelrubha’s Church & Graveyard. The chapel remains are on a site originally dedicated to St. Maelrubha, of medieval origin, and then rebuilt after the Reformation and used as a burial ground for the MacLeod’s of Talisker.

When we asked Roy about the difficulties of taking photos in so many places, he remarked, “Taking photos for Find a Grave presents challenges–one of the most important is lighting. In many cemeteries, all the memorials face the same direction. Therefore, if most are east-facing, it’s best to visit in the morning or early afternoon. And so it goes that west-facing is better in the afternoon. In Scotland, we have many different types of stone and engraving, which can also present challenges. If I am visiting a cemetery away from the local area, then I don’t always have the choice of what time of day I can visit. I will always try to get the best angle to make it easier to read the inscription. Nearer to home, I often make several visits at different times of the day to get the best photographs.” This attention to detail has made him very successful in contributing to Find a Grave. 

All in all, Roy has found his time as a Find a Grave volunteer to be quite rewarding. When we inquired about this further, he said the following: “Another very rewarding part of my journey through Find a Grave is the feedback I’ve received through the messaging system. To date, I’ve received over 600 messages from all over the world. Mainly from people who aren’t able to visit their ancestors’ or close relatives’ graves. This is what makes it all worthwhile. I enjoy taking and uploading the photographs, but if I know that someone has taken the time to message me, then I’m delighted to have taken part in making it happen.” 

Clearly, Roy Stevely has made amazing contributions to the Find a Grave community. His photography hobby has certainly served him well as a Find a Grave contributor. We thank Roy and Sylvia for their dedication to obtaining the best photographs possible in the many different cemeteries they have visited around the world. 

We know that Roy is only one of the many wonderful volunteers in our Find a Grave community. Do you know a Find a Grave member who would make a good candidate for Volunteer of the Month? If so, we welcome your suggestions. Please send an email with their contributor ID number and details of their work to feedback@findagrave.com.