Archives for Maureen A. Taylor
Photo Detective: Hoppin’ Fun Premium
Once our ancestors got over feeling uncomfortable in front of the camera, they began having fun with photography. By the 20th century, family and friends encouraged silly poses for candid shots. This image shows three men, likely farmers, struggling against an oversized replica of the crop’s foe—the...
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The Story Behind Unknown Faces in Photos
Last week, I featured Julie Magerka's genealogical photo mystery. As you know, I believe that every photo tells a story. By piecing together the clues present in a photo—photographer's imprint, props, faces, clothing and photographic format—you can let that photo talk. Even if you can't identify...
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Identifying Unknown Faces in Old Photos
Over the years, a lot of you have sent me emails talking about a "picture moment." Genealogists are taught to look at census records, city directories and vital records, but if you read this column then you know that a photo can trigger a genealogical response. Gazing at an...
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Genealogy Fashions: Is Your Ancestor’s Hat Back in Style?
Fashion is looking back not merely to the 1970s, but all the way to the 1920s and even 1880s, at least as far as hats are concerned. Last Sunday's New York Times fashion supplement featured advertisements showing old-fashioned-looking hats by designers Louis Vuitton and Donna Karan. Even the Bloomingdale's ad...
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Props in Old Family Photos
Don't you just love it when family history artifacts pop up in family photos? This is exactly what happened for genealogist Dorothy Jackson Reed. In 2007, she became the owner of a Book of Worship with the name Mary K. Fricke embossed in gold on the cover. According to the...
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It’s a Family Reunion
Have you ever been to a family reunion? I'm writing this from my husband's reunion. It's an every-other-year event that's been held since the mid-20th century. There's a lot of debate about when the first one was held. Here are two observations: The coordinator is an...
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History Highlight: The 1908 Olympics
With the world's focus on the Olympics, it's time to think about the athletes in your family. There's a family story related to my husband's grandfather: It's said he was asked to play baseball with the Boston Red Sox, but his father forbade it. His father had other plans for...
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Scenes of Moving Day
I've been packing boxes for weeks getting ready to move houses. So how did our ancestors move their belongings in the past? They employed wagons and later, vans similar to the ones companies use today. Sharon Pike sent in this picture of her father-in-law's Greyhound Van Lines Truck that he...
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Which War is It?
Mike Empting found this photo in a box with other cabinet cards. Only two men in his family served in the military: his great-grandfather, who at age 35 enlisted for the Mexican American War. He was a bugler. The time frame for this war, 1846 to 1848, coincides with the...
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Answers to our Farming Ancestor Photo
Do you read the comments posted on blogs? Last week I posted Sharon Pike's photo of a wheat harvest and asked if anyone could identify the thresher. We then posted the query on Family Tree Magazine's Facebook page. Thanks to savvy readers, Sharon now knows which...
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