Blog

24
Jan

My Mama was Wild and Free, Just Like Me

Posted by | · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on My Mama was Wild and Free, Just Like Me

When people with straight hair ask you, “why don’t you brush your hair?!” ‚ . This is a photo that was taken of my mother when she was just 11 years old. It was taken in 1977 in Houston, Texas. Look how she’s showing off her mane! . I love this photo because she looks […]

Read More
22
Jan

A Vintage Photo Booth Captured my Mom and Dad When They Were Young and in Love

Posted by | · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on A Vintage Photo Booth Captured my Mom and Dad When They Were Young and in Love

In 1961, my mother and father went in the photobooth at Kresge’s Department Store on Margaret St. in Plattsburgh, NY. Mom was 21 and Dad was 22. She had just come over from London, England to visit her sister at Plattsburgh Air Force Base. She got a job at Kresge’s and my father worked in […]

Read More
19
Jan

Deadwood is more than a TV Show, It Is Also Part of my Family History

Posted by | · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on Deadwood is more than a TV Show, It Is Also Part of my Family History

Meet my favorite person. (I think the world should know her, too.) . My grandmother Irene, who my sister and I called “grandrenie” because we couldn’t say grandmother Irene, was an amazing person. In fact, she was the most amazing person I have ever known. It seemed like she could do anything she set her […]

Read More
16
Jan

A Snapshot of Courage for MLK and a Vintage Family Photo of a Man Bravely Spoke Truth to Power

Posted by | · · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on A Snapshot of Courage for MLK and a Vintage Family Photo of a Man Bravely Spoke Truth to Power

My grandfather once opened his home to a young MLK; he was jailed for it. When he delivered sermons calling for equality, the Birmingham police lined his pews to intimidate. He delivered his message just the same. He kept a secret journal on police bombings of the city’s black upper class, from 1945 to 1955; […]

Read More
13
Jan

When All You Want to Do is Take a Nap, but Someone Snaps your Photo Instead

Posted by | · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on When All You Want to Do is Take a Nap, but Someone Snaps your Photo Instead

We hope your weekend looks a lot like this. Yesterday marked a big birthday for my dad. As I was thinking of him, I looked through my baby book and came across this picture, which I had previously overlooked. The image was captured in 1963, and I learned that he had just come home from […]

Read More
12
Jan

What is a Photo Organizer, and How Can They Help You Untangle Your Photo Mess and Tackle Your Family History Projects?

Posted by | · · · · | Family Photo Resources | 4 Comments on What is a Photo Organizer, and How Can They Help You Untangle Your Photo Mess and Tackle Your Family History Projects?

We’ve all been there. And it feels overwhelming. There’s just something daunting about standing in front of a closet filled with dusty boxes of family photos,  thinking, “where do I even begin!?” That’s when the guilt starts to take over. But don’t worry! You’re not the only one who has felt this way; we all have. That’s […]

Read More
09
Jan

Can You Help Solve this Mystery? (Join over Twenty-Thousand Others Who Followed this Fascinating Story.)

Posted by | · · · · · | Family Photo Resources | 1 Comment on Can You Help Solve this Mystery? (Join over Twenty-Thousand Others Who Followed this Fascinating Story.)

Some stories need to be told. As the Photo Detective, my passion is solving photo mysteries, especially ones that seem unsolvable! By discovering and deciphering clues in pictures, I can tell their tale. But sometimes it takes the right person to add a key detail that puts all of the pieces together, to reveal the full […]

Read More
05
Jan

Family Portrait Depicts Girls Growing up in the Italian Mountains During World War II

Posted by | · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on Family Portrait Depicts Girls Growing up in the Italian Mountains During World War II

My mom and her sister in 1936. On the back is an inscription written in pencil script by my grandmother in German. It is likely this photo was taken in northern Italy; mom told me they stayed in San Colombano. My mom, Gisella, was 8 years old when this photo was taken. Her sister, Lilly, […]

Read More
02
Jan

For One Large Family, a Sprawling Victorian Home Housed Many Memories

Posted by | · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on For One Large Family, a Sprawling Victorian Home Housed Many Memories

Me with my sisters Heather and Jinx, circa 1950. That building in the background was known as Oak Hill and was home to a whole slew of aunts and uncles, most of whom were living out their retirement years. Oak Hill as it was called was the main house on an old fashioned working farm. […]

Read More