Which Generation is it?
There are photos that just drive you CRAZY. Ronald E. Wade is a very dedicated genealogist, but this image has him confused. His relative Mary Beulah Petty gave him all her pictures and that's great. Ronald has a fantastic picture history of his family thanks to her, but there's one...
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Texas Trouble: Readers Respond
It's been three weeks since the first post on the photos of two Texas men with mysterious decorations on their shirts. In the second column, I really didn't have much to add, but since then, readers have sent in their suggestions/comments. Here's the latest news. The Smith County Historical Society...
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Snapshot of the Past: 1937
Does a single snapshot tell a story? I think it does. Take for instance this glimpse of circa 1937. Cynthia Wilson sent in this picture of two of her uncles with an unidentified man in overalls. She wants to know if the man in...
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Texas Mystery Photo Puzzle: No News
No news ....is not good news in this case. A week ago I posted the Two Texas Mysteries column with the hope that someone out there would be able to shed some light on these two pictures. Nope! Not a word. I received an email from David Lintz of the...
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Two Texas Mysteries
Take a good look at these photos from Peggy Batchelor Hamlett. I can date them, but I'm still working on identifying the symbolism on the men's shirts shirts. Pictorial Evidence: The design of the mat for the above image suggests it was taken in the 1860s...
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One More Time: Funny Pictures
I have another album of funny pictures to share with you. This time, there's even an entry from faraway Chile. Thanks to the Web, this column has readers around the globe.Laura Cook sent me several images of her grandmother Marie Schultheis clowning with friends in the summer of 1913...
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An Album of Funny Pictures
Last week I asked readers to submit funny pictures. Thank you to everyone who sent images. I've been laughing all week. So here they are...fun images that leave you wondering, "What were they thinking?"Sue Edminster sent in this photo (above) of men with numbers on the soles of...
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Funny Ancestral Pictures
Roxanne Turpin sent me a photo that made me think about the transition in photo poses. In most of the images from the 1840s, 1850s and even 1860s technology and our ancestors' discomfort with being photographed combine to make folks look like they're in pain. Then suddenly, people started to...
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Days of Their Lives Premium
Don't let memories of your ancestors' everyday activities fade into the past — preserve them in your heritage album. These 17 techniques show you how to turn ordinary pictures into extraordinary pages.
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Collecting Pictures of Your Ancestors
Genealogists are famous for collecting relatives, but what about acquiring images of those folks? Is it really possible to find previously unknown photos of family members from the advent of photography in 1839? The answer is that it depends. Family circumstances, their comfort level with photography and the availability of...
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