Old Military Uniforms in 19th-Century Photos
These four photos of men in military uniforms occupy a single page from a family photo album—but that doesn’t mean they’re from the same family. It was a common practice for our ancestors to share photos with friends and classmates. It’s possible that these four men knew each other from military service. The album belongs […]
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Old Photo of a Nurse in the 1890s
This lovely photo of a nurse was taken in the mid to late 19th century. Let's take a closer look to see what more we can learn.
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Two Faces But Just One Name in This Old Mystery Photo
We know the name of one young woman in this old mystery photo, thanks to the scrawled caption. But there’s no way (yet) to tell which person the name belongs to. Here’s what we’ve been able to figure out so far, and what to do next: The Eyes Have It These two women posed […]
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How Old Photos Make Time Travel Possible
Taking a vacation isn't new. Generations of our ancestors did the same thing (if they could take the time off work). Since it's August and a good time for a trip, I thought I'd share two older columns. A man bought this photo at a sale and then put it...
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Old Family Photo Mystery: Is This the Father or the Son?
Carole Bemke has a question. Is this photo of a father in her family tree, or his son? Seems simple, right? But not if both men have the same name. You know how it goes. Someone in the family is sure that a photo depicts a certain person, but your...
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Old Family Photo Mystery May Be Solved!
See how four key photo dating strategies help identify a turn-of-the-20th-century Findlay family photo depicting two parents and their five children.
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Readers Respond: Mistaken Identity in Old Photos
There are a lot of sharp-eyed family photo detectives out there. I asked you to compare these two men and give me your opinion, and you did!
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Mistaken Identity in Old Photos: A Facial Recognition Challenge
Last week a woman at one of my lectures raised her hand, pointed at an old photo on the screen, and said "the man in that photo is my great-grandfather!" But was it really?
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Amelia Earhart Found? Clues in an Old Photo May Solve 80-Year-Old Mystery
For more than 80 years the world has wondered what happened to pilot Amelia Earhart, who disappeared over the South Pacific in 1937. The History Channel documentary "Amelia Earhart: The Lost Evidence" suggests an old photo holds the key to the mystery.
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Get the Story Behind Your Fourth of July Old Family Photos
Symbolism abounds in old family photos taken on the Fourth of July. These three young men posed as the iconic drummers and fife player commonly seen on the Fourth of July as the trio from the song Yankee Doodle Dandy. Search newspaper websites for events shown in photos A search of newspapers on GenealogyBank.com turned […]
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