My next step was going through old boxes in our attic. Of course Mom had known what was up there, but now it was time to organize it all. Of course birth certificates, marriage licenses, and baptismal records are in boxes with old newspaper clippings and report cards. Then, in my opinion, the old pictures. Most people do not write in the back of their photos. Sadly I am one of them, although I'm getting better about it. Pictures hold an abundance of information. Think about all the photographs you have around the house. You've taken pictures of your children as babies, toddlers and through the years showing the changes in them. Think about this though. You are going through Grandma's pictures in her attic. You come across a picture of a young child about three or four sitting on Grandma's lap. She looks familiar but you can't place her. A great aunt perhaps. Slowly you turn the picture over. Faded in pencil is a surname you've never heard before. Under the name is a date. Our loving daughter, aged three written. It's possible Grandma was married before and had a child from the marriage. It was common to loose a husband and remarry to support yourself and children. Often, a widow might give up her children to adoption to give them a better chance. Be sure to search surnames you find on the backs of pictures.
Pictured are my sister Lenora and my youngest brother David. Mom didn't date this one. Judging by the dress Lenora is wearing and the little closet behind them, the picture was taken circa 1971.
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