Photo Fun with Friends
Way back in August, I asked for photos of people smiling. In response to that request Teri Colglazier sent me this photo. The woman in the back left has a toothy grin, probably because this group of friends has decided to have fun in front of the camera. No costumes...
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Head Toppers
As you know I love hairstyles, but I'm also a hat person. No, I don't wear one, but I wish I did. Given this fascination with brimmed accessories, is it any wonder I couldn't pass up Bro. Joseph F. Martin's challenge?This photo depicts his great-grandparents Nicholas and...
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Photo Identification in the News
Readers of this column will be as fascinated as I was with these two articles on photo identification. In the January 2010 issue of Smithsonian Magazine is the story of an unidentified daguerreotype owned by Jack and Beverly Wilgus. In it a handsome young man stands facing the camera holding...
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March 2010 Photo Detective: The Graduates Premium
Uncovering the clues in historical photos.
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Texas Twosome Revisited
Last week's tease mentioned that I'd solved a persistent mystery. Ah ... I really thought I had the answer to the Texas mystery. Late last year I ran a three-installment story about these two men in their embroidered shirts. In the first piece, I showed you the pictures and mentioned some...
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Family History Mystery: Casket Case Premium
A mystery photo snapped at a funeral started this family history sleuth on a search that solved a long-standing genealogical mystery. Here's how she did it.
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Finding the Story, Part Three
If you've been following the last two weeks' worth of Joan Lee's search for her husband's grandfather, you know how complicated this story is. In week one, I looked at a photograph reputed to be Fred Klingbeil and in week two, I explained some additional problems with the Lee/Klingeil family...
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Finding the Story, Part Two
Last week, I examined a lovely portrait of a young couple and their son. Although family in Canada identified the husband and wife as Fred and Marie Klingbeil, the facts of Fred's life and the date of the photo don't add up. I asked Joan Lee if she had any...
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Finding the Story: Picture Clues and Family Facts
There's nothing like a photo riddle when the picture and the facts don't add up. In my experience solving that particular problem relies on more than the pictorial evidence. You have to dive into family history in detail. Let's take Joan Lee's photo of a young couple and their child...
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It’s a Family Tree Magazine Reunion!
In July, I wrote a column, Which Immigrant Is It, on a photo submitted by Jeannette Bias. Last week, another woman contacted me to say that she's related to Jeanette and is the great-great-granddaughter of Simon (1843-1892) and Mary (1850-1932) Dulas, the couple possibly depicted in this portrait. Except that...
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