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.
Your unlabeled family photos aren't a dead end
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Hi, Reader, If you've been doing genealogy research for more than five minutes, you probably have them. A box. A folder. A stack of photographs with faces and zero names. They arrived from an aunt who was cleaning out a closet, or a cousin who "heard you do genealogy," or in my case — literally in the back of a car at Thanksgiving. They're sitting somewhere right now, and every time you look at them, you think: I should do something about these. Here's the thing — you can. And it doesn't require a lucky break or a distant cousin with a perfect memory. It requires a method. I just updated my most-read post on this exact topic: How to Identify Mystery Faces in Old Family Photographs Four methods, in the order you should actually use them — starting with provenance (how the photo got to you in the first place) before you ever open an app. The post has everything you need to start making real progress on that box. >>>> Read: How to Identify Mystery Faces in Old Family Photographs <<<< And if you want to go deeper — my Cracking the Family Photo Code webinar covers the full research process for $37. It's exactly what I'd hand someone who wants to work through their photo collection systematically. Talk soon, Lisa P.S. A quick personal note: This August I’ll be walking the Susan G. Komen 3-Day in Boston — 60 miles over three days — in memory of my mom. I don’t often share personal things here, but this one is close to my heart. If you'd like to learn more or support the fundraiser, here’s the link: http://www.the3day.org/goto/lisalisson . |
Are You My Cousin? Newsletter
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.
Hi, Reader, You've checked every database. Searched every spelling variation. Tried soundex, wildcards, and every creative workaround you know. You've gone back to sources you've already searched, just in case you missed something the first time. And your ancestor is still....missing. After years of searching for brick wall ancestors exactly like yours, I've learned something valuable: the wall isn't the problem. The research direction is. Let me show you what I mean. I've been working a case...
Hi, Reader, You found the death certificate. Name, date, cause of death confirmed. Filed away. Most genealogists stop there, but the four most useful clues on the document are still sitting unread. I just updated this post with exactly what to look for and why each one matters: → 4 Death Certificate Clues Everyone Misses The first I'd start with: the informant. Who reported the death? If it's a neighbor instead of a family member, that's not random. It's either evidence of estrangement, or a...
Hi, Reader, As I shared last week, I lost access to a large chunk of my digital life. After a very stressful few week, I have good news! The Are You My Cousin? YouTube channel has been restored. 🎉 It still looks a bit barebones, and it will take me a bit of time to get it looking more organized. But, all of the videos are there. :) The loss to many of my digital assets was not permanent, and I did have backups in place. But this experience got my attention. It also made one thing very clear:...