It was in May of 1996 when my father passed away due to diabetic complications. Upon going through his estate, I recovered a medium size cardboard box that had been taped closed for so long that the tape had yellowed and began to crack. In opening the box, I was shocked to find that the contents of the box was filled with old family photographs dating from the mid 1800s to the mid-1960s, most all of which were in near mint condition. Among the 374 photographs, I found what could only be described as a genealogist's dream, a handwritten love letter from my great grandfather to my great grandmother written in February 1881, ten days before they were married. It was obvious that I had ran across the belongings of my great grandparents, handed down to my grandmother, and then onto my father. Why my father had never opened the box is unknown, but I suspect that he didn't do so for the simple fact, that it belonged to his mother, and his grandparents before that, and he figured that he had no business going through other people's belongings, he was just that way. After cataloging each photograph, I then began to question as to how I would ever come to identify all the individuals that appeared in the photographs. In seeking out one of our local county genealogists, together, we made it our mission to visit with as many of the eldest residents in the area in hopes that they would be able to at least identify some of those who appeared in the photographs. In doing so, and to our surprise, we found many of the elders had their own copies of various photos containing the names of those depicted in the photos. After a few months, we were finally able to identify 85-90 percent of the photographs found in my father's estate. From that moment forward, I was captivated with the world of genealogy and how interesting it all has been, not only in learning about who our ancestors were, but also hearing about the lives that they each once lived. Ever since, the world of genealogy and all of its mysteries has captivated my heart. Find-A-Grave has not only opened a wonderful media here where families around the world can pay tribute to those that they love, all in the comforts of their own homes, it also provides genealogists with a wealth of information when it comes to identifying those within their own family trees. GDStallions 'Only one life, only one chance ... make it count'.

NOTE: All photos provided by me are from my own personal collection and are not to be used elsewhere "without my written permission". All personally owned photos are marked as (Photo owned by GD Stallions). All other photos provided by me without the claim of ownership are free for the taking. Please have courtesy with other peoples property.

It was in May of 1996 when my father passed away due to diabetic complications. Upon going through his estate, I recovered a medium size cardboard box that had been taped closed for so long that the tape had yellowed and began to crack. In opening the box, I was shocked to find that the contents of the box was filled with old family photographs dating from the mid 1800s to the mid-1960s, most all of which were in near mint condition. Among the 374 photographs, I found what could only be described as a genealogist's dream, a handwritten love letter from my great grandfather to my great grandmother written in February 1881, ten days before they were married. It was obvious that I had ran across the belongings of my great grandparents, handed down to my grandmother, and then onto my father. Why my father had never opened the box is unknown, but I suspect that he didn't do so for the simple fact, that it belonged to his mother, and his grandparents before that, and he figured that he had no business going through other people's belongings, he was just that way. After cataloging each photograph, I then began to question as to how I would ever come to identify all the individuals that appeared in the photographs. In seeking out one of our local county genealogists, together, we made it our mission to visit with as many of the eldest residents in the area in hopes that they would be able to at least identify some of those who appeared in the photographs. In doing so, and to our surprise, we found many of the elders had their own copies of various photos containing the names of those depicted in the photos. After a few months, we were finally able to identify 85-90 percent of the photographs found in my father's estate. From that moment forward, I was captivated with the world of genealogy and how interesting it all has been, not only in learning about who our ancestors were, but also hearing about the lives that they each once lived. Ever since, the world of genealogy and all of its mysteries has captivated my heart. Find-A-Grave has not only opened a wonderful media here where families around the world can pay tribute to those that they love, all in the comforts of their own homes, it also provides genealogists with a wealth of information when it comes to identifying those within their own family trees. GDStallions 'Only one life, only one chance ... make it count'.

NOTE: All photos provided by me are from my own personal collection and are not to be used elsewhere "without my written permission". All personally owned photos are marked as (Photo owned by GD Stallions). All other photos provided by me without the claim of ownership are free for the taking. Please have courtesy with other peoples property.