Could this happen to your family history treasures?
Before diving into this week’s identification, I have a question for you: Have you specified in your will who’ll receive your heritage photos after you’re no longer here? If not, your relatives could find themselves in a battle. Carolanne, the owner of this week’s photo, has spent 17 years trying...
Read MoreWomen’s Sleeves Are Clues to Photo Dates
Bill Dodge thinks one of these young women is his paternal grandmother because he found the picture in his father’s belongings. He wonders if it’s a graduation photo and if the girl on the lower right holds a nurses cap. I truly believe each family portrait tells a story about...
Read MoreWhat a Photo Can Tell You About Your Ancestor
This week I started making a list of all the things you can tell about a person from their portrait. I'd like you to add to my list my using the comment section. If you have an example to illustrate your point upload it to the Photo Detective Forum.Here's...
Read MoreAnother Success Story!
Last week I featured two photos in my blog entry. As soon as Thomas Wetten saw what I'd written he sent me an email."I figured I was grasping, but my guess was the best I could formulate from the photo-dating websites I had visited thus far...
Read MoreIdentifying People in Two 1890s Photos
This week two photos have tentative identifications, but in both cases, the time frame of the image and the life dates for the individuals don’t compute. Thomas Wetten suspects the girl in this portrait below is his great-grandmother Margaret Ellen Atkinson, born June 1870 in Durham, England. &...
Read MorePhotos of Summer
Two weeks ago I asked readers to submit their summer photos. I received a wide variety of mystery photos and one that fit my request. Sandi Gill e-mailed this lovely photo of a group of children, one of whom is her mother. Even though Gill doesn't know the names of...
Read MoreSign up for the Family Tree Newsletter
Plus, you'll receive our 10 Essential Genealogy Research Forms PDF as a special thank you!
Get Your Free Genealogy Forms
"*" indicates required fields
Clues from Hats and Backgrounds
These four are dressed for an evening out. Everyday male attire in this period didn’t include silk top hats and shawl-collared vests, unless you were quite affluent. Sandra Guynn believes the man in the center of this photo is Charles Anthony Doyle (born 1867), and the women, his daughters (born...
Read MoreFGS Conference Roundup
Last week I attended the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference in Fort Wayne Indiana and saw lots of folks who told me they regularly read this blog. Thank you!! The content of this space is determined (in part) by the photos and comments you post to the Photo...
Read MoreClues Your Old Photo Was Taken in Summer
Here in New England where winters are long, we embrace summer and often carry cameras to capture moments in the sunshine. When you think about picture-taking patterns in your family, don’t disregard the seasons. This week I’m revisiting some of my older columns to show you how to spot...
Read MoreHow to Submit Photos for Free Analysis
Each week, I receive mail from folks hoping I'll feature their photographs in this blog. It's no secret that I love looking at your family photos, but identification is a collaborative effort. The more you can tell me about the picture, the better the odds of our identifying the people...
Read More