They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I believe them. As exciting as it is to find vital statistics on my ancestors, there’s nothing more exciting than finding a photo of them. Having a face to look at adds flesh to all that raw data.

That’s why the new photo-searching option available for Member Trees is so exciting. While members have been attaching photos to their trees since July, those photos have only been searchable since January. Now, just as you can search other members’ trees for names and dates, you can search other members’ trees for photos, as long as they have opted to make them public.

THE SEARCH
So far I have uploaded pictures to my Member Trees, but have not been able to locate any pertinent family photos posted by others. However, several of my coworkers have. In an effort to get people excited about posting pictures, I thought I would share one of their photo-finding success stories with you. After all, the more photos that are posted, the more chances we all have of finding that missing picture.

IT’S ALL IN THE FAMILY
One day, while playing around with his Member Tree, Kenneth was looking at information on his great-great-grandfather, James Fall Freestone. He decided to click the “Contact Ancestry Members Interested in James Fall Freestone” link on the person page. (Note: You can find a link like this for anyone on your tree. Just go to the person page for an individual and look for a link under the “Community” section on the right side.)

He found ten matching trees. One had “Photos: Yes” listed under it. When he looked at the tree there were two photos of his great-great-grandfather attached to it. Kenneth didn’t even have a photograph of his great-grandfather, James Franklin Freestone, so he never expected to find one of James’s father, his great-great-grandfather!

One of the photos featured James Fall Freestone in a community band, which corroborated family lore that James had been musically inclined. Next to James in the photo was an Alonzo Packer. Since Packer was also a family name, Kenneth went back to his own tree and started doing research. It turned out that Alonzo and James’s family lines intersected at many points.

Back on the tree with the photos, Kenneth also found a story uploaded by the creator. It read, “[James and Alonzo’s] children married. James and Alonzo became best friends and lived close together in Safford. As Alonzo laid on his death bed, James crossed the field that separated their homes to visit his old friend. He entered the room where Alonzo laid. He stood and looked at his friend for a while then said, ‘Well Lonzo.’ To which Alonzo replied, ‘Well James.’ A minute or two later he left. Alonzo died 23 March 1917. James died 2 April 1917, nine days later.”

AND THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS . . .
As more and more members add photos to their trees and make them searchable (there are more than 500,000 photos on trees right now), more of us can have experiences like Kenneth’s.

If you want to search the site for photos, try Kenneth’s method or simply search all the photos online at once. Select the Search tab on the homepage and then the Photos & Maps tab. Enter a name, location, or other appropriate term in the “Keywords” field.

If you get too many hits, narrow your search by adding more information. If you get too few hits, broaden your search by using less information. Then, let the hunt begin.

If you don’t find something, don’t despair—as time passes and more photos are added, chances are greater that you will. In the meantime, add your own photo and take pleasure in knowing that you may make some distant cousin’s day when he or she stumbles across it. After all, isn’t it better to give than to receive anyway?

PHOTOS OF JAMES FALL FREESTONE

Photograph of James Fall Freestone located by his great-great-great-grandson, Kenneth, on Ancestry.com under public member photos.

Member Tree photograph of Pioneer Band from Safford, Graham, Arizona, which played at many community events. James Fall Freestone is second from the left. On his right is his best friend, Alonzo H. Packer. James’s son Leonard and Alonzo’s daughter Charlotte married.

Jana Lloyd is editor of the Ancestry Monthly newsletter. She can be reached at AMUeditor@ancestry.com but cannot assist with personal research questions.