Blog

04
Feb

The Photo Lover’s Guide to RootsTech, the Biggest and Best Family History Conference in the World

Posted by | · · · · · | Family Photo Resources | 2 Comments on The Photo Lover’s Guide to RootsTech, the Biggest and Best Family History Conference in the World

Thomas & Dianne Jones If you’re anything like me, you love photography, storytelling and family history. We are archivists, collectors, organizers, photographers, librarians, historians and genealogists. Above all, we are memory-keepers. We believe photos tell stories. And we believe those stories are worth saving and sharing. That’s why we love gatherings that bring us all together […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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; […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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. […]

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30
Dec

In a Single Snapshot, a Syrian Story is Revealed with Grace and Pride

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My great-grandparents Edward and Matilda (pictured here) emigrated to the US from Aleppo, Syria in 1906 and 1911 respectively. In fact, all four of my great-grandparents on my father’s side came from Aleppo. Until recently, most Americans had never heard of this city in Syria. . But I grew up learning Aleppo’s rich heritage via […]

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29
Dec

My Grandfather Sammy’s Love for Technology is Captured in this Vintage Photograph

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This is my favorite picture of my grandfather, Sammy. Though I was never close to him, when I see photographs of him, I feel as though I’m looking directly at my own father. Their similarities are striking, not only their appearance but their military history and their love for technology. My father believes this photograph […]

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28
Dec

A Love Story for the Ages, Told by One Simple Snapshot of my Grandparents

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This is one of my all-time favorite family photos. My grandparents on my father’s side both died when I was very young. My grandma was diagnosed with ALS years before I was born (she was only 58), and by the time I could remember her, she couldn’t move much or talk at all. Her eyes […]

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