In Part II of our two-part series on how to date old family photos, we discuss how to use women's fashion to date old photos you encounter in your genealogy research. Sometimes, there are no clues within the photograph or imprinted on it. In those situations, we need to rely on an understanding of the fashions of the 1850s through 1900s, both hair and clothing, to accurately determine when that particular photograph was taken. At least one of the three key aspects of women’s fashion—hair, the … [Read more...]
Genealogy Sleuthing: How to Date Old Family Photos – Part I
Many family historians have a collection of unidentified old family photos they're not sure what to do with--but can't bear to throw out. In this article, we'll share tips for helping you accurately date old family photos. Photographs are one of the treasures of genealogy. There is something about being able to look an ancestor in the eye—we make a connection to the people we can identify by both name and face. We search for traces of ourselves in their faces. We wonder what they were thinking … [Read more...]
The Myth of the 240-Year-Old Photograph
All of the images included in this article are used with the permission of their owner, Zane Healy. A bemused friend recently contacted me about a posting on a memorial page website. According to the memorial, the gentleman in question was born in 1752, served in the American Revolutionary War, and died in 1845. Attached to the memorial were three photographs: the ancestor's tombstone, the cemetery in which he was buried, and a photograph of the deceased. In the photograph the gentleman looks … [Read more...]
Hidden in Plain Sight: A Guide to Image-Only Record Collections
For the countless hours spent looking for records to prove or provide a family relationship, Image-Only Records collections that have not yet been indexed may hold the hidden answer to century-old questions. Here is how to use these records, and tips on maximizing your time. If you’ve plugged your family names into the search databases of the major genealogical websites and didn’t find the answer you needed, consider that your search is not done! Did you know that there are millions of pages … [Read more...]
3 Gadgets and Programs for Digitizing Family History Photos
Digiting family history photos is a breeze with these gadgets and programs! If you’re faced with a box or trunk of old black and white photos from decades gone by, feel lucky. Many people would love to have such a treasure trove, even if it means taking the time and spending some money in order to preserve these photo treasures forever. Even if family photos have been lovingly placed in albums or scrapbooks, it is important to digitize them (and it’s also important to make sure that albums … [Read more...]
How to Find Family Photos Online
Finding photos of ancestors is one of the best ways to bring their heritage to life. Here's how to find family photos online. As professional genealogists, our job is to seek out the details of ancestors' lives so that our clients are able to understand the people with whom they share a connection. These bits of information can include occupation, military service, education, immigration, religion, and more. A question we get pretty often is "Can you find photos of my ancestors?" One of … [Read more...]
Ancestor’s Photographs: Worth a Thousand Words
Discovering an ancestor's photograph is one of the highlights of genealogy research. Bringing a face to a name is a priceless addition to any family tree. Here are a few ideas to help you locate ancestral photographs. Photographs can be very interesting genealogical records, and we have been told are worth a thousand words. The picture above, taken sometime around 1908 at Warm River, Idaho, certainly tells something. Of particular interest is a couple in the back corner. They were Zina Gunter … [Read more...]
Primary Source Documents: Standing Where Your Ancestors Stood
Primary source documents are a gold mine for genealogists. Here's how one of these simple documents created a defining personal experience for one of our researchers! Primary source documents are the lifeblood of genealogy. Filled with cold, hard facts, these documents provide evidence that researchers use to collect, analyze, and then make conclusions. Personal identity, parental linkage, or biographical details are some of the possible conclusions drawn by genealogists from these … [Read more...]