Foreign Photo Mystery
This damaged image depicts one family line of Julie Townsend Gontarek's husband. Julie knows the image shows relatives in Poland, but not their identities. There are three possibilities: The Gontareks, Klamsky and Otrasek families all lived there. Before she can delve deeper, Julie wants to know when the picture was...
Read MoreStories in the Family Album
Way back in grade school, I learned that the building blocks of a good story are who, what, where, when and how. Those elements plus a little family history lore add up to tell a tale. In the case of this photo, here's how it breaks down:Who: There are lot...
Read MoreCard Photo Clues
What's a card photo? If you've heard the term you're probably wondering. A card photo is an image mounted on cardstock. The earliest ones are called carte de visite and are approximately 2.5x4.5 inches (although the sizes can vary a bit). Late 19th-century cabinet cards are larger and...
Read MoreFiguring Out Who’s Family in Old Photos
Do you own one of those photos that nags you with unanswered questions? Karen Perry does. Unlike the rest of the photos in her collection, this lovely family group is completely unidentified. She's asked relatives, but no one knows who they are. Mom and Dad are...
Read MoreMore Ancestors at Work: Early 1900s Meat-Cutting Plant
If you've ever read The Jungle (available free on Project Gutenberg), author Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel describing Chicago's meatpacking industry, then you may have tried to imagine what it was like to work in that industry in the early 20th century. Roxanne Munn's photos provide an glimpse into how meat...
Read MoreAncestral Occupational Portraits
Thank you for sending in your photographs of ancestors at work! I've got quite a selection to show you. This is going to be a two-part article. There are too many to show in one blog post. Wendy Negley owns this lovely picture (above) of her great-grandfather Frank Stefani with...
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Ancestral Occupations
Do you know what your ancestors did for work? My paternal grandfather painted houses and so did his father. My maternal grandmother worked in a cotton mill alongside the rest of her family. Their stories were passed down in the family and evidence in documents like city directories and census...
Read MoreThe Marsteller Old-Photo Mystery
Last week I outlined the mystery of the Ralph Marsteller photo. This week I'm back with more details. Let's start with some basics. What are they wearing?Clothing clues can be very helpful, BUT it's important to remember that there were lots of different styles every season and...
Read MoreLooking for a Pennsylvania Connection
Every week I search the submissions for this column looking for a mystery photo. Each photo is accompanied by some basic information and usually a story. My next steps are to contact the person who sent in the photo either by phone or email, then start digging for more information...
Read MoreForeign Photos in the Family Album
This week I'm at the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies Conference. It's a huge event with folks attending from all over the globe. I love the international atmosphere and especially like looking at photographs taken around the world. Photos taken in foreign lands can be particularly challenging. Instead of...
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