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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Don’t Forget the Women and Children in Old Photos
Last week, I examined the cataloging record and photo format clues for this stereograph picture, taken between 1860 and 1864, from the Library of Congress online photo collection. This week, let’s talk about the individuals shown. Who’s in the Photo? The Library of Congress caption states they’re members of the Wallack family of New […]
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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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Can an Old Mystery Photo Prove a Passed-Down Family Tale?
Don't you love a good story? I do. As genealogists we're trained to listen to the tales told at family gatherings and sort fiction from fact. Pictures not only come with their own set of stories, but they also can be used as proof of a genealogical event. ...
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3 Translation Tips for Foreign-Language Captions on Old Photos
Ann Sandler's mother-in-law left behind a mystery photo. The family doesn't know who's in the photo and they can't read the caption on the back. It's in a language they don't recognize. Many immigrant families brought with them images of family and friends they'd left behind. Without the...
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Solve WWI-Era Photo Mysteries With Fashion Clues Premium
The rapid transformation in WWI-era clothing styles can help you solve photo mysteries and illuminate your ancestors’ changing world.
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