When you first started your genealogical research, you might have felt daunted by the lack of information that you had access to, and when some kind soul finally told you to start with death certificates and headstones, you just might have decided that pictures of those gravestones would make a great compliment to the death certificates you were so thrilled to purchase from your state archives.
Great! That is a wonderful start. But don't stop there. Now that you know there is more to Genealogy than just "Records", you can really cause other family members to want to "contribute" to that Database.
How? One family oil painting, tintype or even a black and white snapshot scanned in and printed out with your records as a "complimentary" copy to that relative who has been "holding back" on talking to you could change their minds. When you have spoken with them, and noted everything they would like to tell you, a casual question about what pictures they might have of family members is appropriate at this time.
Most folks don't want their "old" pictures, tintypes or oil paintings damaged any more than they are already, so if you volunteer to scan them into your computer and print out a "copy" to put on the family piano, you just may turn out to be their favorite relative. You are going to find that some folks are "loan shy" about their pictures - why? because cousin Sue borrowed some, one year, and forgot to return them or, well; you get the idea.
Now might be a good time to invest in one of the Digital Cameras that take great pictures of almost anything from Documents to - yes!- Oil paintings, and all without leaving your reluctant relative's hands. You,too, can have a fully documented record without expensive copy costs, and in the bargain, you will forge new relationships with relatives and feel a new closeness to your relatives who have "passed on".
Snapshot, tintype, or Oil - don't pass it up. They each add to the wonderful completeness of your Family Tree.
