Hi there! I'm Lisa Lisson, and I'm passionate about helping people like you discover their ancestors and expand their family tree without feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about the next steps.
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🤔What's hiding in your family's photo collection?
Published 3 months ago • 3 min read
Welcome to the Are You My Cousin? newsletter! Quick tips, inspiring stories, and smart strategies for exploring your roots—whether you’re building a family tree or preserving family memories. Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe so you never miss an issue.
Hi Reader,
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I know it's cliche, but when it comes to family photos, it's absolutely true.
Here's what I've learned after years of genealogy work: those thousand words become incredibly powerful when they spark conversations across generations.
My Great Great Grandmother Clara Holt Haley
In fact, this photograph, not only sparked conversations, but led my father to attending his first family reunion in 60+ years! That's the power of family photographs!
Summer visits with family are the perfect opportunity to turn your old photos into conversations and experiences. The stories our relatives carry in their memories are often far richer than any document we'll find in an archive.
So, this summer pull out those shoeboxes of photographs and start finding your family stories.
😲IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!
Your Family Photos Are Hiding Stories
Most of us look at old family photos and see faces. But there's so much more information staring back at us—if we know what to look for.
This blog post breaks down the specific techniques I use to extract maximum information from any family photograph:
Dating photos through clothing and hairstyles when there's no written date
Reading backgrounds and settings to understand your ancestor's daily life. (This is my favorite part!)
Interpreting poses and photo styles to place images in historical context
Even damaged or unclear photos contain valuable research clues. The key is knowing which details matter most.
Summer is prime time for genealogy education. Here are some upcoming opportunities to strengthen your research skills:
Find many listings for Juneteenth and African American genealogy events this week at ConferenceKeeper.
Free Webinar:Bridging the Generations: Connecting the Enslaved in Your Ancestor’s Records to Their Descendants with Cheri Passey. Wed, Jun 18, 2025: 2:00 pm EDT. Register HERE.
Her Story is Your Story - The Family History Show by FindMyPast; 20 June 2025, 11 AM (Eastern) Register HERE.
Whether you're looking to tackle specific research challenges or expand into new areas of family history, you will find plenty of new learning opportunities.
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Ready to become a family photo detective? My comprehensive course "Cracking the Family Photo Code" gives you the systematic approach to unlock every clue hiding in your family images.
You'll learn:
Step-by-step photo analysis techniques used by professional genealogists
How to date photos using clothing, technology, and studio details
Methods for identifying unknown relatives and locations
Strategies for organizing and preserving your photo collection
Transform those mysterious family photos from puzzles into powerful research tools that advance your family history.
Turn Your Phone into a Family History Tool - Summer Photo Project
This summer, as you visit relatives or explore family spaces, your smartphone can become your most powerful genealogy tool. Here's how to maximize every photo opportunity:
Capture more than the obvious - Photograph the backs of photos for studio stamps, dates, and handwritten notes. These details often provide more concrete evidence than the image itself
Document the photo's location - Where did you find it? In whose album? This context can be just as valuable as the photo content for understanding family relationships
Photograph groups of photos together - Before separating or organizing, capture how photos were originally grouped or stored. Your ancestors' organization choices often reveal family connections
Quick tip: Don't forget to ask permission before photographing family photos, and always respect the owner's wishes about sharing or using the images. Building trust with relatives often leads to discovering even more family treasures.
Summer is the perfect time to finally tackle those family photo mysteries. The stories are there—we just need to know how to read them.
Actionable genealogy advice that you'll want to save in a special Gmail folder to grow your healthy family tree, sent weekly to 10,000+ readers.
Hi there! I'm Lisa Lisson, and I'm passionate about helping people like you discover their ancestors and expand their family tree without feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about the next steps.
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, It happens! My great grandfather changed his name sometime in the years before he married. While we don't know why he changed it, that name change has caused errors in many researchers' family trees. This type of...
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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, At a recent genealogy presentation I gave, the discussion turned to AI and how to actually use it in genealogy research. I was fascinated and a bit surprise that about 75% of the room was not exploring or using AI at...
