Archives for Maureen A. Taylor
Find Soldiers in 10 Lesser-known Wars Premium
Jealous of genealogists with ancestors in major, record-generating US wars? Don’t be. We’ll help you trace people who served in 10 lesser-known military conflicts.
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Drum Roll for the Civil War
I'm deep into research and writing for Family Tree Magazine's forthcoming new book on Life in Civil War America. I'm busy working on the Afterword on Civil War photography. I love having a project I can immerse myself in. Last week The Genealogy Insider...
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Wearing Family
This is a fantastic family photo owned by Sharon Pike. It's actually a photo within a photo. In this card portrait, a stunning portrait of a well-dressed middle aged woman, Jane Rivers Meriwether (1829-1897) gazes directly into the camera. Let's look at some of the details. HairIt appears she has...
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Home Sweet Homestead
I just love this picture! It's got a lot of family history layers. Terry Sargent sent in this photo asking if it was a Civil War-era picture. On the back is written, "Mrs. and Mrs. E.H. Sargent Strawberry." The "Strawberry" refers to Strawberry Point, Iowa, where...
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Summertime Farewell: Historic Photo Finds
Two beach photos from the early 20th century show what life might have been like for our ancestors during summer or early fall.
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Hand-Me-Down Family
Years ago, Truli Powell's mother received a box of photos from one of her husband's cousins. Now Truli is trying to date and identify the images. She's hoping that the cousin only gave them images from their specific line. In this "like mother, like daughter" tintype, the mother and the...
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Studio Backdrops
At last weekend's FGS conference in Knoxville, I did a little shopping. Picked up a couple of interesting books and this lovely trio of photos. I just love the backdrops. This photographer spared no expense. While in the 19th century most backdrops looked like the outdoors or living rooms, in...
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Getting up to Date Premium
How your old photos were taken is the first clue to when they were taken. Use our timeline of photographic methods to date and preserve images from your family’s past.
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Favorite Photo Mysteries
I’m taking a short vacation, so instead of a new column I’m taking a look back at some of my favorite mysteries. Back in January I published a photo of the Hobo 8, a group of young people (above) smiling for the camera. It’s a great photo that captures the...
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