About BillionGraves
Our Goal
Our goal is to preserve precious records found in cemeteries throughout the world. We use modern technology to capture images of headstones with their GPS locations so users worldwide can access those records anywhere. BillionGraves strives to do just that: preserve at least one billion graves. And we won't stop there!
We CAN achieve this goal. If only 100,000 of our users were to upload 10,000 images (about 850 pictures a month for one year) we would easily reach that goal. With just a couple trips to your local cemetery each month, YOU can easily make these records available to those people searching for their relatives.
Join our worldwide effort and see just how rewarding (and even addicting!) BillionGraves is.
Meet the BillionGraves Team
Hudson Gunn: Chief Executive Officer
Hudson has served as the President of BillionGraves since 2012 before serving as the CEO in May 2017. Prior to joining BillionGraves, Hudson founded other technology companies such as Code_IT Barcodes, My Legacy Memorial, and Wildtrax Outdoors. Since 2012, he has been an Entrepreneur in Residence, adjunct professor and consultant to small technology businesses throughout Utah. In 2011, He was awarded the Utah Valley Student Entrepreneur of the Year and Best Small Business. Hudson holds a Bachelors from Utah Valley University in Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology Commercialization.
Hudson says: "Preserving the world's cemeteries and making them readily available to promote collaborative genealogical work is a fascinating and rewarding challenge!"
Brian Moncur: Chief (Geek) Technology Officer
Brian has been working on BillionGraves since the beginning. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and has an extensive background in software design and development. He was the CTO for Fonix (a speech recognition company) as well as for AppTime, the original developer of BillionGraves. In his spare time he loves mountain biking, rock climbing/canyoneering and talking technology with his three sons who all had a hand in the creation of BillionGraves.
Brian says: "If headstones could talk I'm sure that they would have a lot of stories to tell. Since they can't, BillionGraves is the next best thing. Those stories are quickly fading away so we need to capture them ASAP!"
Casey Moncur: Senior Mobile/Web Developer
Casey was one of the original developers of the BillionGraves project, and is joining up with us again after taking time to finish up his Computer Science degree at Brigham Young University. He is excited to bring fresh ideas to the table and supercharge the BillionGraves movement with simple, beautiful design. His free time is usually spent with family, in the mountains, or reading.
Casey says: "It is so much fun to be able to work on something that has real, lasting meaning behind it."
Melyssa Stratton-Webb: National Director of Record Acquisition
Melyssa Stratton-Webb has been working as a volunteer with Billiongraves for a few years. She learned about BillionGraves while restoring abandoned cemeteries in Northern Virginia and saw it as a great addition to her preservation work. Melyssa is an avid Genealogist and when she is not crawling through brambles and woods looking for lost cemeteries, she can be found in small town historic societies doing research. Melyssa graduated from George Mason University and has a BA in Medieval and Renaissance Literature. In her spare time she loves to travel with her husband Ken.
Melyssa says: "I saw BillionGraves as a great way to expand the restoration of these forgotten cemeteries. Not only can we physically restore the sites, but we now can preserve the location and records of each headstone with BillionGraves. What a wonderful way to give back to our ancestors."
Anna Young: User Support Extraordinaire
Anna Young has been an enthusiastic user of BillionGraves from its inception. She graduated from Utah State University in Elementary Education with an emphasis in history. She has been an avid genealogist for over 25 years, spending many of those years as a family history consultant, as this is her passion. When not buried in old records and archives, she enjoys gardening, hiking, and traveling.
Anna says: "My desire to ensure that my ancestors are not forgotten has taken me all over the United States. As an avid genealogist, cemetery records can hold valuable information to help in our search to “know”. BillionGraves provides the mechanism for this to happen."
Cathy Wallace: Special Projects Coordinator
Cathy has been a supporter of BillionGraves since the company’s earliest years. She loves family history and has built her own family tree to more than 15,000 names. Cathy holds a Bachelors degree from Utah State University in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on writing, business, and history. You may have read some of Cathy’s writing on BillionGraves’ blog (or go check it out here: https://blog.BillionGraves.com!) She serves as the secretary for BillionGraves’ Board of Directors. Cathy is also a national administrator for JustServe, a service organization that partners on projects with BillionGraves.
Cathy says: "There is nothing like that “Eureka moment” when I discover an ancestor that has been eluding me for years! BillionGraves is an awesome way to discover more ancestors since each gravestone photo taken is automatically linked with a GPS location. This allows me to see the burial proximity of others nearby. When I am in a peaceful cemetery taking photos, I am in my happy place!"
Savanna Sorensen: National Project Coordinator
Savanna has been a user of the BillionGraves app since its beginning. Savanna loves to travel and while she is traveling she will usually find a cemetery or two that she can document using the BillionGraves app. She recently hired on to work as the National Projects Coordinator where she will be coordinating with various groups from all over the United States in documenting the cemeteries using the BillionGraves app. Savanna has a nursing degree and has worked most of her career in the Emergency Room. She is married and has four children. She loves to play with her family, relax on her boat, read, and travel.
Savanna says: "BillionGraves is a great interactive way to learn about and promote genealogy."