Back in August 2023, Leslie obtained permission from the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Whitman (MA) to work in Mount Zion Cemetery as many of the gravestones were caked in lichen and in disrepair.  Whitman is in Plymouth County where some of the country's oldest gravestones are located, and she and Krissy had previously taken classes in cemetery preservation.

As part of her work, she builds each family into a broader Whitman Family Tree located on Ancestry, as well as building them into FamilySearch's universal tree.  Some of the individuals located in the cemetery have no vital records yet identified within town records in Whitman or Abington.

Since Whitman was named for Augustus Whitman, a generous benefactor who granted the town the Whitman Town Park where numerous events are hosted throughout the year, he is the tree's root individual.

The purpose of the tree is to connect neighbors and friends and build a sense of community.  Residents of Whitman can visit the Are You a Whitman from Whitman? Facebook page and request an inquiry where they submit the information of their most recently deceased ancestors and they will be voluntarily built into the tree.

Whitman connects to localities far and wide.  Since we are the "Home of the Tollhouse Cookie," this project has expanded into a gastronomic research project.  If we don't have the Tollhouse, we can still learn where our founding residents spent their days.  With connections to nearby Hingham, Middleboro, and Bridgewater, there is a wealth of information on this subject.