ROOTED IN MEMORY. OPEN TO CONNECTION.

Every family
has a story.
Ours has a place.

Welcome to Tom Belajonas's family archive. A place to gather the photographs, remember the little details, and discover the connections that bring a family together.

Find your place here

The private family space is not open yet. No family records are published on this welcome page.

Manhattan skyline seen from the Staten Island Ferry in May 1973. Public archival context, not a family photograph. — LOWER MANHATTAN, FROM THE FERRYMAY 1973 · ARTHUR TRESS / NATIONAL ARCHIVES

A LITTLE HISTORY. A LOT OF HEART.

Start with a name.
Come back with a memory.

A school, a neighborhood, a favorite recipe. The smallest details can give a life its shape. Share as much or as little as you like, whenever the time feels right.

People, connected.

A growing picture of the lives and relationships that make a family, with room for questions, uncertainty, and new discoveries.

The things we keep.

Photographs, letters, and stories with their sources close by. Public archival images set the scene; they are never presented as family evidence.

An invitation, at your pace.

The intended family space is for invited relatives. A request begins a review; it does not create an account or grant access.

THERE IS ROOM AT THE TABLE

Part of the family?
We'd love to hear from you.

When requests open, leave your name and a way to reach you. A short note about your connection is plenty. Please keep private family documents, medical information, addresses, and account details out of this form.

Access requests are not open yet.This page cannot accept a request until the request form is open.

Requests are reviewed separately from family sign-in. No email, invitation, notification, or access permission is created automatically.

THE IMAGES BEHIND THE ATMOSPHERE

History, with its sources.

These public archival photographs are context for the welcome page. They are not private family images, and they make no claim about any relative.

Parking area at St. George ferry dock, May 1973. Public archival context. — **St. George ferry dock · May 1973**Arthur Tress / EPA DOCUMERICA. U.S. federal public domain.National Archives, NAID 547928 ↗

Ellis Island inspection room, photographed between 1900 and 1915. Public archival context. — **Ellis Island inspection room · 1900–1915**Detroit Publishing Company / Library of Congress. No known publication restrictions.Library of Congress, det.4a25609 ↗

Hero photograph: Arthur Tress / EPA DOCUMERICA, May 1973. U.S. federal public domain. National Archives, NAID 547967 ↗

Every familyhas a story.Ours has a place.

Start with a name.Come back with a memory.