Ready to solve your photo mysteries?

Welcome to the Are You My Cousin? newsletter! Each week, I share practical family history advice - whether you're solving genealogy mysteries or capturing the stories that make your family unique. Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe so you never miss an issue.

Hi Reader,

A number of years ago when cleaning out my grandmother's house, we found ourselves in the hallway staring up at the attic. It was one of those pull-down attic stairways and had been duct taped closed. Not really sure why, but it was and obviously no one had been up there in years!

As we pulled off the duct tape, and pried the door open, we joked we were on an Indiana Jones's expedition! We really had no idea what we would find outside of a lot of dust and maybe some spiders.

What we found? Some very old wrapping paper, one vintage suitcase (empty) and one color tinted photo of my grandfather holding my dad as a toddler. It was in perfect condition!

That photo find got me thinking about all the family discoveries people make during summer cleaning projects—and how many of us have no idea what to do with them once we find them.

Before you dive into this week's blog post about exactly that, let me share the tools that actually make family photo preservation manageable...

🔨 LISA'S PICKS

Essential Photo Preservation Tools

Here are three tools that actually make family photo preservation manageable (and less overwhelming):

MemoryCherish Professional Scanning - When you find damaged, faded, or torn family photos that need expert repair, this is where I send people. They digitally restore damaged photos - fixing tears, removing stains, and bringing back faded details. Perfect for those favorite family photos that time hasn't been kind to. Check MemoryCherish out!

Photomyne Scanning App - For those "found a shoebox of photos at Mom's house" moments when you need to capture them quickly on your phone. The app automatically enhances and organizes as you scan. Perfect for documenting finds on the spot. Try Photomyne!

Photo Organization & Scanning Essentials - The supplies that protect your preservation work: acid-free boxes, photo corners that won't damage pictures, and labels that won't yellow over time. Everything in my Amazon storefront has been tested in real family photo projects.

📝NEW BLOG POST

3 Things to Do With Those Family Photos You Found This Summer

You know the scenario: you're helping clean out a relative's house and discover boxes of unlabeled photos. Or maybe you found that forgotten album during your own summer cleaning project. Either way, you're now staring at a collection of faces—some familiar, others complete mysteries—wondering what to do next.

Don't let them sit in limbo until "someday when you have time." These aren't just random old pictures gathering dust—they're connections to real people who probably look exactly like your kids.

This post reveals three simple strategies that turn forgotten photos into family conversations your family will actually care about. You'll discover why perfect organization isn't the goal, how to create "story starters" that spark natural curiosity, and the one step most people skip that ensures family stories don't disappear forever.

Plus, I share the investigation technique that turns detective work into family bonding time—no genealogy expertise required.

📝 Read: 3 Things to Do With Those Family Photos You Found This Summer

🎬ICYMI YouTube: Scanning & Organizing Old Family Photos | Today's the Day!

Stop putting off those photo scanning projects. In this video, I demonstrate the actual scanning workflow I use, including settings that preserve detail without creating massive files, and the organization system that keeps everything findable.

You'll see real family photos being scanned and learn the difference between "good enough" and "genealogy research quality" scanning.

🎬 Watch: Scanning & Organizing Old Family Photos | Today's the Day!

📅 Upcoming & Noteworthy

September is Save Your Photos Month! It's time to get ready!

Quick prep checklist:

Gather photos from different locations (phone, computer, relatives' houses)
Identify your most fragile photos that need professional attention
Set up basic organization folders before you start scanning
Choose your scanning tools based on your photo collection's needs

Planning tip: Don't try to tackle everything in September. Use Save Your Photos Month to create momentum on one specific photo collection - wedding photos, vacation pictures, or that shoebox from your grandmother's closet.

📅Mark Your Calendar for Sept 11, 2025 at 4:00 PM Eastern! I will be presenting a YouTube Live in conjunction with Save Your Photos month on "What is That Family Photo REALLY Telling You?"

💡 QUICK WIN OF THE WEEK

Sibling Research

Stuck on a research dead end? Try this: Stop searching for your target ancestor and research their siblings instead.

If you can't find birth records for your great-grandfather John, search for his brothers and sisters. Siblings often appear in each other's records as witnesses, neighbors, or next-of-kin. Plus, they usually lived in the same area and used the same churches, schools, and cemeteries.

The bonus: Sibling records often contain different details about parents, birthdates, or family origins that break through your research wall.

Quick example: Can't find Mary's marriage record? Look for her sister Elizabeth's marriage—Mary might be listed as a witness, revealing her married name or current location.

Start with one sibling search this week. You might be surprised what opens up.

🤝 Work With Me

Speaking of photo mysteries - if you've got boxes of unidentified family photos and want to turn them into actual family history breakthroughs, my VIP Genealogy Day intensive includes photo analysis and identification strategies.

We'll create a systematic plan to connect those faces to your family tree using clothing clues, photography dating techniques, and strategic research approaches. No more guessing about who's who in your family photos.

Learn more HERE.

What photo project are you tackling this week? Hit reply and let me know - I love hearing about family photo discoveries.

Happy Ancestor Hunting!

Lisa

P. S. I just saw AncestryDNA is on sale for 60% off! If you have been planning on testing, now's a great time to purchase them. (Offer ends 3 Sep 2025 at 10am ET. Excludes shipping)