Hi, Reader.

Do you have an old family photograph you keep coming back to, hoping you’ll finally recognize someone?

You’ve checked for a name on the back. You’ve asked a relative. But you still don’t know where those faces belong in your family tree.

In one photograph from my great-grandmother’s collection, an unidentified couple gave me a research puzzle. I examined where the photograph came from, its physical format, the couple’s clothing, and how they were posed. Then I compared those clues with the families in my tree.

Success! I was looking at the faces of my second great grandparents.

Over on the website, I walk you through the process and clues I used and how they helped me identify the couple. Get ready to follow the process with a mystery photograph from your own collection:

--> Identify Old Family Photographs – Who IS That Couple?​

Your research task: make time for one photo mystery

Choose one unidentified photograph and set aside some dedicated research time this week. Open the article and work through the process in order, using your photograph. Keep notes on what you discover at each step, including questions that need further research.

You may not identify everyone in one sitting, but you’ll have a clearer picture of what the evidence suggests and what to investigate next.

A quick RootsTech reminder

RootsTech takes place March 4–6, 2027, online and in Salt Lake City. Online registration is free.

I’ll be presenting three sessions covering AI as a genealogy research partner, reconstructing an ancestor’s world, and finding clues in old family photographs.

​Explore RootsTech 2027 and register​

Happy researching,

Lisa

P. S. DISCLOSURE: I am a RootsTech 2027 Media Rep. In return for my promotion of the RootsTech 2027 conference, I receive a complimentary RootsTech entry pass and certain additional non-monetary benefits.