The folks on Sesame Street have been teaching the importance of the people in your neighborhood for years. There is even a meme circulating on many of the social media platforms that reminds us that we can "never forget the neighborhood kids or the great times we had." Where am I going with this? I want to offer a bit of advice that has helped me in my research and enriched my knowledge of my family. If you are not in contact with the descendants of folks who were the neighbors of your parents & grandparents, you should be. You both have stories and in many cases pictures of each other's family. Have old family pictures of people you don't know? They may be able to help you figure out the identity of those folks.
About 6 years back I contacted the descendant of one of my grandparents neighbors. It's been great to share stories that were handed down about the people in the neighborhood and their interactions. Earlier this week she brought me old photos that she'd inherited--some pictures of my folks and others within that neighborhood. I've spent the better part of this week scanning and adding them to my Old Hickory, TN--Dupont tree at Ancestry. Thankfully the majority of the people in the pictures are identified. This was a true blessing for me and my family and I hope that once I get the pictures uploaded others with family there can experience that same joy.
Family history research is more than just names, dates and begets, It's pictures and documents which, when analyzed and pieced together weave the stories of the lives of our ancestors.
