A Picture is Worth....

The man on the right is my grandfather.  Maybe.  Or it could be the son of the people who took my grandfather in after his mother died.  Or maybe that's the guy in the middle.  What we do know for sure is that we have no idea who the man on the left is.  And as for the car.....not a clue.

So if I am so unsure as to the subject of the photo, why am I posting it?

To make a point:  take advantage of the family members who are alive and ask questions.

Go through photographs with your family and talk about them.  Who is that in the photo?  When was it taken?  Where?  What is happening in the photo?

The more specific information that you have, the better.

For instance:

This is my grandfather, Austin Cecil Tasker, and my grandmother, Edith Mae Wise Tasker.  The photo is of their 25th anniversary and was taken in the dining room of their home on Court Ave. in Somerset, PA.  Grandpa was NEVER this casual, but he and grandma had been out working on their garden and came home to a surprise party.  (and one other detail, the cabinet on the left side of the room is now in the home of my mom, their youngest daughter).

Sadly, my mother and her slightly older brother, Bill, are the only ones left in their family to identify people and places.  Mom and Uncle Bill help me out a lot with names and dates and places, but sometimes - like in that first photo - we draw a blank.  And while it is obvious that the photo was important, we have no idea why.

So every time I spend time with my Mom I haul out old photos and/or pepper her with questions.  What was their dinner routine like?  Who took out the trash?  How did grandma and grandpa deal with poor school grades?  How did each child end up with their name?

Remember, your family history is the collection of stories and information that you and your family have collected.  Make sure you have your copy of it!