PHOTOGRAPHS

In addition to family stories, family documents and photographs are invaluable to "put the meat on the bones" of genealogical research. Photographs are more commonly available than written records, and should be thoroughly searched out; a specific photograph of a wedding, for example, might not be in the hands of the children of the couple but, instead, have been kept only by a cousin. Photographs taken in early adulthood (such as engagement portraits and wedding photographs) and middle age are the most useful. It can be tremendously rewarding to trace family likenesses through several generations.