School Yearbooks

Yes, one of those resources many times overlooked by researchers. Now if there was one or two yearbooks in the family held onto by relatives, you are in luck. Do ask various family members. But you might not have access to your father’s yearbook or your grandmother’s yearbook. Imagine locating a nice portrait of your grandmother when she was age 19. Keep in mind yearbooks or annuals can be high school or college.

Using Cyndi’s List of available sources for school yearbooks you have a chance of locating one for the school and years a relative attended. Even if there are none for the years the relative attend, just seeing images of the actual school and the type of activities done there at that time can add a good deal of information to the family history.

On Cyndi’s List are individual schools with what years are available plus Dead Fred’s Genealogy Photo Archive made up of yearbook images. Review the additional numbered pages listed at the bottom as you scroll down the page. 

There are some very extensive collections, such as the one listed ‘Yearbooks and Photos from Tyler County High School, Middlebourne, West Virginia. Information and yearbooks from 1908 until the school closing in 1993′ on the third page.

Note there are yearbooks for other organizations such a military, not just schools.

Finding a yearbook could also provide information on activities, such as sports and theatrical plays your ancestor was in. What a gem to locate one.  

Photos: Portraits-1905 Burlington High School, Burlington, VT; 1928 – South Portland High School, South Portland, Maine; and the Banjo Club members in 1896 at Tulane University.

Related FamilyTree.com Blogs:

1941-1945 Yearbooks

Yearbooks

Back to School for your Ancestors