Friends and Neighbors
A couple of weeks ago, I presented several lectures at the San Luis Obispo Genealogical Society conference. I had great time and got to look at some interesting pictures. Roma Miller showed me this snapshot. This was in Roma's box of photos from her step-grandfather's family mixed in...
Read MoreThe Search for Annie Moore
If you don't know who Annie Moore is, you haven't been following Megan Smolenyak's research on her. For several years, Megan has been intrigued by her. Annie Moore was the first person to step foot on Ellis Island when it opened Jan. 1, 1892—a pretty significant first. There...
Read MoreFamily Stories: A Photo at a Time
Sharon Pike wrote to me with a question about the clothing on the children in this photo, "Do you think the photographer brought clothing as props for the children?" It's a really common query. In her e-mail, along with her question, was the story of this family. Since...
Read MoreNow What?: Genealogy Records of Stillborn Infants Premium
Where to look for genealogical records of children who were stillborn or died shortly after birth.
Read MoreSpotlight: Denver Public Library Picture Collection
It's over 90 degrees in my town today. The heat and humidity make me start thinking about winter. With months to go before the snow, I did the next best thing. I looked at pictures of cooler temperatures I found on the Denver Public Library Web site. All right. Not...
Read MorePictures Without Provenance
Hilda Barton sent me this lovely photo of a young girl with the subject line: "No Idea Who This is..." It's a picture without provenance. I've written about provenance before. It's the history of ownership of a photograph or other object. It's easy to underestimate the value of knowing...
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Adding Up Photo Clues
I had trouble deciding the angle for this story. Would I discuss the problem of trying to figure out the photographic method or mention a family brick wall? Then I re-read all the emails from Randy Majors and decided to cover those topics as well as how he identified his...
Read MorePhotographing Children in Our Ancestors’ Day
In honor of Mother's Day, I'm including a short piece on photographing of children from Rhode Island photographers William Coleman and Orville Remington. They were business partners in their studio from 1867 to 1883. During their first year, the men published a booklet advising potential customers how to...
Read MoreWhy the Long Faces in Old Photos?
Every so often I bump into a 19th century photo in which the subjects are grinning. It's a rare event. Occasionally, you see a Mona Lisa smile, but it's difficult to locate an image from the 19th century where folks actually showed teeth the way we do today. So, you're...
Read MorePets in the Family on YouTube
It's not hard to believe that the three installments of this blog on ancestors' adorable pets were among the most read. After all, it's family history from a different perspective—pets in the family. Since this week is the Westminster Dog Show, I thought I'd try a different presentation method for...
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