Don’t wait!

If you have the slightest inkling, or if there is any possibility that you will want to investigate or know more about your family history and ancestors some day, take action now.

I’m not kidding you. The number one regret I hear from family, friends and clients is that they wish they would have asked their parents, grandparents, great grandparents and other relatives about their lives when they had a chance.

How many of you have old family photos that are not marked or dated and you have absolutely no idea who they are?

Are they family?
Are they friends?
Where were they taken?
What were they doing?
What’s the story around that photo?

I have literally 100s of family photos. They’ve all come to me since I’m our family historian. I do know and can identify some of the people in these photos. However, if I do not write on the photo who is in it and where it was taken, the next generation will not have a clue about anything in the photo. There is still a possibility that some cousin will recognize some of the people in the photos where I have no idea.  With others, their identities are simply lost and will remain so.

Now, if I had sat down with my grandmother’s sister, who we called “Aunt Dorothy”, who was born in 1899 and who was alive for the first 24 years of my life, and gone through her photo albums and asked her questions, I would not be in the predicament I’m in now.

So, I’m telling you, do not wait.

Grab those photo albums and take them around to every person who may know who those people are and mark the name, date and place for each one. Have them tell you stories about the people in the photo. Have them tell you stories about themselves. You’ll be so glad you did. And you’ll get to know those people even better – and really learn a lot about your family history too.

Please, unless you want to waste a lot of time, grab those photo albums and take action.

I would love to hear what your stories are after you do!

Good luck,

Lisa Holt Hamilton