Old Family Photos
Finding old family photos of your ancestors is always a thrill, but often, they are elusive. Maybe you have photographs of your ancestors, but they are unlabeled! (Sigh...) Who is actually in THAT photo?
You need strategies to understand and identify those unidentified individuals in your ancestors' photographs. Learn about the five different types of photographs, the step by step process of identifying the individuals and important clues that can be found within your family photos.
New to working with old family photos? I suggest you start with 4 Tips to Identify Unknown Family Photographs.
Links to get started exploring our ancestors' photographs:
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How To Preserve & Digitize Old Family Photos
Options to digitize you old family photos and preserve them for future generations. Should you DIY or use a scanning service? You know you should digitize old family photos. After all, that shoe box in your closet is stuffed full of family photos. Finding a favorite photograph to share is next to impossible. Plus, you are worried about how those photographs will hold up over the years. Will they fade? Could they be lost in a fire or flood? Will they be tossed?! One of the best ways to preserve your old family photographs is to digitize them. When it comes to digitizing your photographs, you have the option to…
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How To Store Old Family Photographs
Have you ever wondered how to preserve old family photographs? I've uncovered vintage gems in the unlikeliest of places, from dusty attics and sealed ziplock bags to those magnetic photo albums. Some even survived tucked away in a barn trunk for over half a century. These fortunate finds made me realize the importance of learning how to properly store old family photos for future generations. Let's learn about the basics of photo storage, ensuring your precious memories withstand the test of time. Learn about archival safe storage, protective measures against catastrophic events, and what to do if your photographs are already damaged. Let's safeguard our family's history for generations to…
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Why Did My Ancestors Take Those Unusual Victorian Post Mortem Photos?
Taking post mortem photos was common in the Victorian era & early 1900’s. Part of grieving, these photos remembered passed away family. Let me set the scene….. At our traditional Thanksgiving gathering at my paternal grandparents’ home, my grandmother and aunt pulled out the family photographs. This wasn’t unusual when we got together, and family stories flowed. Sadly, this was in my “pre-genealogy” days, but I think the seed was planted. Thumbing through a box of photo, I stumbled across post mortem photo or photograph of a deceased relative. Then another one. And another one. Really?! Who were these strange people I was related to who took photos of deceased…
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How to Date Antique Photographs Using Tax Stamps
Tax stamps help date old family photographs to a very specific point in time. Learn how to look for them and what they mean.
