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It would have been wonderful if photography had been available in the 1600s and 1700s, because it would provide us an opportunity to see some of our ancestors back then. There didn't seem to be too many of our ancestors who were willing to sit still for a portrait painter, or too many painters who had reason to paint our ancestors.
There was photography in the latter part of the 1800s. Some of us have pictures of family gatherings from back in that era. Be careful what you throw out. Resolve now that you are not the owner of these pictures, you are only the custodian! Your job is to preserve them for safe-keeping for the next generation!
With old family pictures, your challenge is:
· who is in the picture,
· when it was taken, and
· where it was taken.
All of these things are important to our family tree, and the longer you wait to start the process, the harder it will be. |
Photos that are especially valuable are group poses where there is more than one generation shown. Two generations in the picture is good, and if it was a big family, so much the better. Three generations in the picture is GREAT. Based upon the names and birth dates of the grandchildren shown, it might be possible to date the photo to within a few months.
Some day it would be wonderful to publish the Mizell family tree showing family photos from the 1890 to 1920 era for EVERY BRANCH of the FAMILY, with names identified, photo dates shown and places/occasions documented! Those photos are out there for just about every branch, let's figure out how to use them!
Getting photos scanned into a JPEG format with enough resolution is one step toward this vision. Listing people in the photo on a word-processor text page is another step. Electronic files are easier to share. Let's avoid mailing or shipping original photos and running the risk of having them damaged or lost! |
