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"Along Those Lines ..."
by George G. Morgan
Click Here for George Morgan's Archive
| Identifying Family Photographs -- August 7, 1998 |
About a dozen years ago, my mother gave me a very precious and important Christmas present, one that she had worked on for almost a year. She had divided all the family photographs she had in half and created two photo albums. One album was for me and the other was for my only sibling, my brother. She thoughtfully included in each album the photographs that she thought would be most important to each of us, making sure that we had at least one photograph of every relative. In some cases, she had had copies made of one-of-a-kind pictures. Most importantly, however, she took the time to label every picture she could with the names of the people and/or places and the approximate time that they were taken. This week in "Along Those Lines ...", let's discuss the process of identifying old family photographs and why it can be important to your genealogical research. Why Identify Family Photographs? Maybe this sounds like a stupid question. However, do you have a shoebox or drawer full of old photographs that are unlabelled and whose subjects you don't recognize? We all have photographs like this. I have one picture of a lovely woman in Victorian-era dress. I don't know for certain who she is, but I have a recollection from childhood of my aunt calling this woman Cornelia Wilkinson (or Wilkerson?) and saying she had been an acquaintance of my grandfather's. Somehow I can't bear the thought of discarding the picture but I also don't know what else to do with it. The photographs my mother so lovingly divided, labeled, and mounted in my album tell a story about the family. I was born late in my parents' lives, and many of my mother's aunts and great-aunts, uncles and great-uncles, and her cousins were already advanced in years or deceased. My mother's labels and notations are invaluable to me because they provide me with the references I need to connect the names and faces of ancestors and other relatives I never had the opportunity to meet. Another important reason why my mother's work is important is that she provided many dates on the photos. No matter whether exact or approximate, the dates provided have helped me determine or narrow down the birth, marriage or death dates of some of the people in the pictures. And the presence of some people in the pictures have helped to date the pictures. For instance, the presence of my mother as a very small child in the arms of her grandfather tells us the picture was taken after her birth in 1911 and before her parents moved to NC in 1913. Since there were leaves on the trees in the yard where the picture was taken, we can determine that the picture was taken in the late summer of 1912. Mother was able to identify the house in the background as that of her grandfather in Rome, GA, by the distinctive gingerbread decoration. We took time on several occasions after she gave me the album to discuss the people and places in the pictures. The pictures evoked memories for her that she shared with me. The stories she told brought the people in the pictures to life and gave me a better insight into what they were like and about the times in which they lived. This, to me, is one of the great joys of working on my family genealogy. I wish I had taken notes. How Can YOU Identify Family Pictures? As a child, I was fascinated to hear my Grandmother Morgan and my aunt, Mary Allen Morgan, tell about taking train trips, riding in touring cars, and traveling to visit other relatives in distant places. They would show me photographs or postcards and tell me all sorts of details. Unfortunately, though, I was too young to appreciate the importance of labeling and dating their vast collection of photographs. And while I remember a great deal, there are still many photographs in my possession that remain unidentified. The first thing you should do is locate all the pictures you have in your possession. Lay the ones that you have taken out on a table and label them all. Yes, you have to do this for yourself, your family and your descendants! Use an archive-safe pen to label the pictures. These are usually available at office supply stores or fine photography supply dealers. Next, go through all the older pictures you have. If you can identify the people, places and dates, label the picture. If not, set it aside. Once you've gone through all the pictures, go back to the pictures you couldn't label. Can you determine which part of the family they're from? If so, sort the pictures into groups -- here are the Wilsons, here are the Holders, here are the Alexanders, etc. Also set aside the ones you can't identify at all into a separate group. With all this work accomplished, you're ready for the next and best step -- visiting! If you still have older relatives alive, they are your best resource for identifying old family photographs. Start with your parents and/or closest relatives. Sitting down at the kitchen or dining room table with your parents some evening with a collection of old photographs can be productive and tremendously entertaining. The pictures can and will evoke stories that you might never hear otherwise. Be ready to not only label the photos but also to take notes about the people, places and stories you hear. You may find that you have mislabeled some pictures. Make notes and keep on going. You may have to conduct more than one "kitchen table" session. That's fine too because you may well have opened a communications channel that usually will get wider. If there are photos that cannot be identified by your parents, be sure and ask if there is another family member who might know more. Make notes and make plans to communicate with those relatives. If you can visit them, make plans to do so. If you can't make a trip to visit distant relatives, you might consider making a photocopy of pictures you can't identify and sending it, along with a SASE, to them to ask for help in making identifications. (NOTE: Don't make photocopies of daguerreotypes, tintypes glass plate negatives and some older photographs as they are light sensitive and you may damage them. Check with your local library for books about older photographs and how best to handle them.) During your photo investigations, it's not unusual for others to tell you they want a copy of a picture. My advice to you is to never let a picture out of your hands. No matter how good the intentions may be, there's always a chance that you will never see the picture again. Instead, offer to have a copy made and make sure there's an agreement that the other person will reimburse you for the cost of the picture. The Payback If you're successful in identifying the family photographs, you will have the satisfaction of building a more complete collection of family information. Linking a photographic image of your great-grandmother with the name and facts you've collection can be a tremendously exciting experience. There are other benefits too. Last summer, while on a genealogical trip to Rome, GA, I sought to locate information about my great-grandparents -- my mother's mother's parents. In searching through the 1913 Rome City Directory, I found a listing showing my great-grandfather Holder residing at 808 S. Broad Street. After a short drive, I located the house still standing and in good condition. I knew that this was the right house. How? I recognized the gingerbread trim around the front porch -- the same front porch shown in the photograph taken in late summer 1912 with my great-grandfather holding my mother in his arms. I urge you to take the time to identify your precious family photographs before it's too late. Happy hunting! George Click Here for George Morgan's Archive
Copyright 1998 George G. Morgan All Rights reserved "Along Those Lines ..." is a weekly feature of the Genealogy Forum on America Online (Keyword: ROOTS). This column originally appeared in the Genealogy Forum on America Online. You may send E-mail alonglines@aol.com. George Morgan would like
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