Does This Old Photo Have a Hidden Message?
Houston County, TN ArchiveHistorical societies all over the country have old mystery photos of local citizens. The picture above is from the Houston County, Tenn., archives. Thank you to Archivist/Records Manager Melissa Barker for submitting this image. Melissa knows from the photographers imprint it was taken by Edward E...
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Our Ancestors’ Photo-Ready Family Record Sheets
Family milestones are well-known as photo occasions. Births, marriages and even deaths show up in family photo collections. There's another family photo op in your family history: The purchase of a photo album or a family record like the one below. c. 1886, Library of Congress Family records...
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How to Figure out Which Holiday Is Shown in Old Family Photos
Here's a picture problem that family photo historians often encounter: Photos of an unnamed, unknown celebrations. It could be local event, a national holiday, or a gathering of relatives for some family event. All too frequently, it's unclear. For instance, let's look at Flag Day. Flag Day, June...
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3 Clues to Solve an Old Photo Mystery
When a family member won't talk about a person in a picture, it makes you wonder why. It also leaves you with an unidentified family photo. Dale Wheeler's father never spoke about the woman in this photo. Dale has three possible identities for this young woman: Julia Ann...
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Seeing Double: 5 Clues in an Old Stereograph Photo
I love the Library of Congress. I can lose myself for hours in its online historical photos collection doing random searches. Sometimes I even tackle one of their photo mysteries for fun. If there's one thing that gets my attention, it's when I see a photo with a partial caption...
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Stamp Boxes, Messages & More: Family Clues in Old Real-Photo Postcards
Real-photo postcards postcards among your collection of family letters and photos might contain a variety of clues worth exploring. From stamp boxes to postmarks and messages, there can be genealogical gold in the littlest things.
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Turn It Over! Genealogy Clues on Old Postcards
This ordinary postcard captioned "R. I. Institute for Deaf and Dumb, Providence, R.I." contains a photo clue and it's not the building pictured. It's the message on the back:Dearest Ma got my proofs to day only one out of five that looks like me. The rest looks as...
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What’s the Story in this Old Family Photo? The Big Reveal!
It's time to look at the big picture, the whole image and the rest of the details. If you've followed the last two posts, you've heard Mikael Hammerman's family story and seen some of the clues in the picture. Let's answer his big question: Is this his great-grandmother's...
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How Clues in Your Old Family Photos Can Keep You Out of Trouble
It's time for another installment of Mikael Hammerman's mystery photo, which shows a mother and a daughter—and just might shed light on his family legend about a young mother who ran away with her employer to America. Clues in a picture can keep you from jumping to conclusions...
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How to Preserve Old Photo Albums Premium
Did you inherit some old photo albums? Treat them with care by following our tips for preserving and storing your family treasure.
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