Photo Detective with Maureen A. Taylor - photo-research tips

Reuniting Orphan Photos With Family

Maureen — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 20:13:50 GMT

Have you ever walked into an antique store and found a photo with a name on it? This is known as an orphan photo.

At some point in its photographic lifespan, it became separated from its family. Photos are rarely mentioned in probate records, their inheritance often a matter of serendipity. When family members die and no one steps forward to claim pictures, they end up in tag sales, antique shops and on eBay.

The next time you see one of these pictures, consider purchasing it. Using your genealogical research skills, you might be able to reunite it with family members that "lost" a piece of the past. They'll be glad you found it.

I'm working on two such images, but haven't solved the ownership mystery yet. Here's what I've done to research the images.

1) Date the Image
Unless the name on the image is unusual, it's necessary to have a time frame. Photographer's work dates, clothing details, props and photographic format can place the image within a range of dates. Next, I estimate the age of the person in the image.

2) Consult the Census
Using information in the photographer's imprint, such as geographic location, can help narrow down the search parameters. I start by searching the census using full names. Since the name on the image might be a nickname, also try wildcard searching. If the photo was taken in a small town, it's sometimes useful to browse through the census for that area to locate others with a similar surname.

3) Use City Directories
Ancestry.com, Fold3.com and local libraries and historical societies often have city directories. Search for the photographer and for the surname of the person pictured.

4) Survey the News
Since it was common for family to visit photo studios when they were on vacation or visiting relatives, it's a good idea to see if there are any newspaper stories about special events or advertisements for the photographer. Each resource provides you with an opportunity to verify the information in the caption.

5) Check Genealogical Databases
Search a variety of genealogical databases such as Ancestry.com and Geni.com. On Ancestry, click the box "Family Trees" at the bottom of the search screen to search for matches. On Geni.com, use the Search People box on the top right.

In addition to these tips, I also analyze the handwriting to determine if someone living within the lifetime of the person depicted wrote the caption, or a descendant did it later. For instance, ballpoint pen is a 20th-century invention.

Sometimes success is just a few clicks away, while other times the answer seems out of reach.

This month, I'll also blog about other ways to reconnect with your "missing" family photos.

Solve your family photo mysteries with these books by Maureen A. Taylor:

Fashionable Folks: Bonnets and Hats 1840-1900

Preserving Your Family Photographs

Fashionable Folks: Hairstyles 1840-1900

Finding the Civil War in Your Family Album

The Story Behind Unknown Faces in Photos

Maureen — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 14:14:41 GMT

Last week, I featured Julie Magerka's genealogical photo mystery. As you know, I believe that every photo tells a story. By piecing together the clues present in a photo—photographer's imprint, props, faces, clothing and photographic format—you can let that photo talk. Even if you can't identify who's in an image, those basic elements may eventually lead to new discoveries.

Julie's photo encouraged her to investigate her Romanian roots. While the photo seems like a simple group portrait, the story represented in the image is anything but ordinary.

Julie's grandmother's name appeared on her son Rudolph's birth record as Julia Magierka. The record was marked that the baby was "illegitimate." Julie's Dad always used the spelling of Magerka for his surname, without the i in the surname used by his mother.

Julia Magierka met John Turansky/Turiansky supposedly when he was a prisoner of war during World War I, and she was a translator. The couple married and had a daughter. John immigrated to Canada first, then about a year later, Julia and Rudolph's half-sister, Anne, followed.

Rudolph didn't immigrate to Canada for another decade. Family story-tellers used to have a lot of theories about the fact that Jullia left him alone. Perhaps he lived with the family depicted in this photo.

Julie is hoping that further research will reveal the names of the other people in this people. All she knows at this point is that there is definitely more to this photo story.

Solve your family photo mysteries with these books by Maureen A. Taylor, all available in ShopFamilyTree.com:

Fashionable Folks: Bonnets and Hats 1840-1900

Preserving Your Family Photographs

Fashionable Folks: Hairstyles 1840-1900

Finding the Civil War in Your Family Album

Census Diving: Browsing for Facts

Maureen — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:42:09 GMT

As genealogists, we mine census records for our ancestors and the details of their lives. For the last two weeks I've written about Richard Levine's puzzling pic in Is this Painted Woods North Dakota? and Painted Woods Mystery: Part Two.

One of the tools I used to research the photo was the 1900 US census. I routinely use online census records to learn more about when photographers were in business and to fill in background information.

For the Levine mystery, I wanted to see just how many folks lived in Painted Woods, ND, and whether that information could help identify who's in the picture.

I browsed the census pages. While I might hesitate to read the census page by page for major metropolitan areas, it's a great way to learn more about small communities. Here's how to do it:

On HeritageQuest Online, a ProQuest database available through many libraries, click the link for Census. There are two options at the census tab: Search or Browse (some records aren't indexed, so they're available only by browsing). Click browse. Select the census year, state, county and location.

In Levine's case my selections were 1900, North Dakota, Burleigh and Painted Woods. There were only a couple of pages for the families there.

On Ancestry.com it is also possible to browse census pages. On the right hand side of the census search box for each year of the census is a Browse box. You'll need to narrow the search by year, state, county and location to see the pages.

By reading the pages for Painted Woods, I learned that most of Jewish settlers had left the area by 1900. The area was then home to many Scandinavian immigrants.

In an unidentified family group portrait, a census record can help you determine who's in the picture: List the genders and estimated ages of the people in the photograph, then check census records for your relatives who were alive at the time the photo was taken. Look for a household whose members match the genders and estimated ages of those in the photo.

When I use the census to research photographers, I fill in the years between the decennial enumerations with city directories, state censuses and any other pertinent records.

I'd like to know if you've ever used the census to solve a picture mystery. If you have, please use the comment box below this column. I look forward to reading them.

Solve your family photo mysteries with these books by Maureen A. Taylor:

Preserving Your Family Photographs

Fashionable Folks: Hairstyles 1840-1900

Finding the Civil War in Your Family Album

Asking Permission

Maureen — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:43:34 GMT

Last night I had an interesting discussion with a colleague. She mentioned that she's researching a Civil War soldier from Vermont and that she'd found a great website, Vermont Civil War. It includes lists of photographs of men from various units. On the site was a mention of the man my colleague's been looking for.

When you find an image on the site, there's a link in the listing so you can discover the whereabouts of the picture. In the case of the photo she found, the listing provided a name and stated the image is in a private collection.

Before my colleague can use the image in a publication (such as a book or website), she needs to request a high-quality scan (at least 300 dpi) and obtain permission to publish it. The BIG problem is that the owner of the image hasn't responded to her emails. At this point, she's not even sure whether the email address is correct.

I've had similar things happen to me (and maybe you have too). As I work on various projects I often see images that I'd love to include in a publication. Locating the owner is often difficult. But before you can use an image in a publication or on a website, you need to obtain permission from the owner. Here are a few tips to help.

Google the name and use social networking. Even though picture credits usually include the name of the person or organization that originally supplied the image, there's no guarantee that person or entity is still contactable. It can take time to follow the history of that image. Try searching for the person on the web to see if there's obituary or a change of email. Don't forget to check social networking sites like Facebook to see if they have a page.
Google the email address. My friend didn't know you could do that. If a person lists an email address on a message board, in a family tree or with any other website, a web search can help you find it. Test your own email address to see how many places it appears. You'll likely be surprised. I've used this technique to find full names, addresses and new email addresses for folks I've been trying to contact.
Try auction catalogs. Last week, I contacted a historical society about using an image and discovered the society sold it. Now I have to try to find out which auction house handled the transaction and who bought it. If it's in private hands, the auction house can forward my request to use it. They won't divulge who bought it, though.
Use Google Images. When I find an image online and I can't determine who owns it, I'll use Google Images. Copy and paste the image into the search box and you'll find other places that image has appeared online. It's pretty cool! Beware though. Not all the matches will be exact or family friendly. Click on Advanced Image Search on the Google Images website for more tips.

I'll be back next week with a spooky image for Halloween.

Solve your family photo mysteries with these books by Maureen A. Taylor:

Preserving Your Family Photographs

Fashionable Folks: Hairstyles 1840-1900

Finding the Civil War in Your Family Album

A Possible Identity for the Lady

Maureen — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:57:09 GMT

Last week I wrote about Jay Kruizenga's photo of a woman with long hair.

He read the column and quickly wrote back to say thank you. It appears that the lovely woman with the long locks has a name!

He believe that this picture was taken 1883-85 because the cardstock and other details match another photo in his family collection. The other image depicts Jacob Derk Kruizenga's only living son, Derek Jacobs, who was born in 1879.

Jay then wondered "who was living with Jacob Derk Kruizenga (1830-1906) and his wife Jennie (1837-1905) in the same time frame?"

According to the 1880 federal census, the couple had two daughters living at home—Nettie (born 1861) and Frances (born in 1866). Jay doesn't think Nettie is the woman in this photo because she married and moved away from home around the time of the census.

Could this photo be Frances? Perhaps. She was the only living daughter of Jacob and his second wife Gezina Rotmans VanBraak. She didn't marry until 1885, so she would still be single in this photo.

Now all Jay has to do is find another photo of Frances for comparison. She was well known in Michigan. Frances was elected President of the Michigan Chapter for the Independent Order of Foresters, a fraternal organization, and gave speeches at conventions.

Jay wrote to the Foresters but the person who replied said that all their historical information is boxed and unorganized, thus making it difficult to find anything.

I'm hopeful that someone has a photo of Frances in her capacity of president of that organization.

Thank you to the person who commented on last week's story. If you've ever wondered why all these young women posed with their long hair down, there is a simple answer: They wanted to look like the famous Barnum and Bailey Circus act, the Seven Sutherland sisters. The sisters concluded their musical performance by letting down their hair for the audience. It was sensational!

Solve your family photo mysteries with these books by Maureen A. Taylor:

Preserving Your Family Photographs

Fashionable Folks: Hairstyles 1840-1900

Finding the Civil War in Your Family Album

Question Checklist for Old Family Photos

Diane — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:34:37 GMT

If you’re lucky enough to be able to go over family albums and boxes of old photos with a relative, you want to make sure you learn everything you possibly can about the pictures.

At FamilyTreeMagazine.com, Maureen has put together a list of what to ask so you won't miss any research clues.

Solve your family photo mysteries with these books by Maureen A. Taylor:

Preserving Your Family Photographs

Fashionable Folks: Hairstyles 1840-1900

Finding the Civil War in Your Family Album

Asking the Big Questions

Maureen — Mon, 16 May 2011 14:05:50 GMT

I sat with a friend today as she showed me her latest online family history discoveries. It was all very exciting.

She's worked on this particular genealogy problem for several years. All of a sudden, an unknown distant relative joined an online site and posted family information and lots of pictures. My friend was amazed to see photos of her great-grandparents and some of their children.

While it was thrilling to see all that new material that solved her brick walls, I couldn't help but look at the photos critically.

If you find yourself gasping over images of your long-lost relatives, try not to jump to conclusions and accept them at face value. Follow some basic tips for analyzing those images.

Remember those captions are not necessarily the truth. Misidentifications happen all the time.
Look at the clues—clothing, photographer and any other evidence in the pictures to see if they add up.
Is the person the right age to be the named ancestor?
Clothing clues, especially hats, sleeves and ties, are often fashion statements that tell you not just about your ancestor's fashion sense, but can place the image within a narrow time frame.
One of the photos depicts a man in a police uniform. This employment tip could help her unlock more family information. Her next step is to contact the appropriate department to try to obtain employment records.
Another photo shows a woman in a very expensive-looking fur hat and coat. Family lore claims this woman had financial means. To prove this, I suggested tracking down probate records to follow the money trail.

Each new picture is an opportunity to find fresh genealogical data. Evaluate the picture sense using the techniques presented each week in this column. It's too easy to accept visual material at face value rather than digging a bit deeper to tell the story behind the image.

I hope you'll be able to join me this week for my Photo Detective Live! event on May 18, or for one of my new tele-seminars through AskMaureenTaylor.com.

Solve your family photo mysteries with these books by Maureen A. Taylor:

Preserving Your Family Photographs

Fashionable Folks: Hairstyles 1840-1900

Finding the Civil War in Your Family Album

Drum Roll for the Civil War

Maureen — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 13:12:41 GMT

I'm deep into research and writing for Family Tree Magazine's forthcoming new book on Life in Civil War America.

I'm busy working on the Afterword on Civil War photography. I love having a project I can immerse myself in.

Last week The Genealogy Insider wrote a post about the "hand-in-jacket" pose favored by so many military men.

If you've ever wondered whether or not your Civil War soldier posed for a picture, then here's a statistic for you: According to the 1860 census, there were at least 1,500 individuals who operated as photographers just prior to the war. This number only includes those who claimed it as their primary business and doesn't include individuals who had side businesses snapping pictures. That's a lot of photographers.

Private Frank A. Remington and two other unidentified Union soldiers

According to William C. Davis, editor of Touched By Fire: A National Historical Society Photographic Portrait of the Civil War (Black Dog & Levanthal Publishers, available used), these photographers took an estimated one million pictures, but only several thousand still exist.

Maybe my Civil War ancestor really did take time to pose for a picture—many soldiers did. I feel inspired to look. Right now, all I have is a pension file description of a man with red (!) hair and blue eyes. No 20th century family member has or had that color hair. I'm intrigued.

So here's how I'm going to look:

Check with relatives
Post a query online (haven't decided where yet)
Search reunion site such as DeadFred.com and AncientFaces.com
Try searching the United States Army Heritage & Education Center. It has thousands of images and an online database. Not everything is online, but it's worth a look. Since I think it's unlikely I'll find an identified photo, I'll also try searching for the companies in which my ancestor served.
Contact local and state historical societies to see if they have relevant images. I know that to search these collections might require hiring a researcher. If so, I'll find a local researcher using the Association of Professional Genealogists.

The Library of Congress Prints & Photographs division has a lot of Civil War images. Look in their catalog, but also check the American Memory project. CivilWarPhotos.net has searchable database of 1,200 photos. A good resource for information on Civil War photography is the non-profit Center for Civil War Photography.

If you have a picture of a Civil War soldier in uniform, e-mail it to me. I'd love to see it. Please use "Civil War photo" in the subject line.

Now you can pre-order Family Tree Magazine's 2011 Civil War Desk Calendar, which features historical photos of people and scenes from the war, plus facts about the era from Life in Civil War America.

It's a Family Tree Reunion!

Maureen — Mon, 24 May 2010 16:47:47 GMT

Last week I wrote about June Thomazin's search for information on a picture, featured in my Research Rewards post. A relative had identified the subjects, but June thought the photo depicted someone else. All her digging finally paid off.

One of the readers of this blog contacted me to say that she owned a copy of the picture and had additional details. She said that the photo was identified as Wesley and Catherine Newman by Catherine's great-great- granddaughter, who'd received it from her mother. She added, "Wesley was indeed a veteran of the Civil War and died in the Old Soldier's Home."

One of the basic rules of photo research is to seek out distant family members to see if they have identifications for your unidentified images. It happens all the time. I'm so happy that June has a "new" cousin to contact.

When I forwarded the e-mail, she quickly wrote back that she hadn't research that collateral line yet and was really excited to have someone to share information with. June wrote, "I'm on cloud nine."

June found her connection through this blog. It's one of those serendipitous genealogical moments. Don't forget to check photo-reunion sites. Thousands of people a week use DeadFred.com and AncientFaces.com looking for family photos. More and more genealogists are also looking for family on Flickr.com.

Who knows what you might find?

The Search for Annie Moore

Maureen — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:01:23 GMT

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 wasn't much known about her until Megan started digging.

You know how research can lead to one thing and another? Well, that's what happened with Annie. Before long, Megan found two of Annie's relatives with images purported to show this mysterious woman. They claimed they had seen a photo of her at Ellis Island.

It's a long story. I've featured the research done so far on both Annie and the pictures on my own blog last week. Megan and I have been trying to verify the identity of the image of three children and figure out where it was taken.

There are folks on both sides of this photo problem. Megan and I have to do more research, and we'd love to see the original picture.

Rather than link to all the research in this column, you can view the image and click through the links provided in my blog. It's a complicated piece of photo research.

Comments are graciously accepted!

How to Win the Family Photo Lottery

Maureen — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:21:48 GMT

I've lost track of exactly how long I've been writing this column. The first edition of my book Uncovering Your Ancestry Through Family Photographs was published in 2000, and I started this column in February of the following year.

That means you've been reading about identifying family photographs for nine years. That's a lot of pictures!

Anyone can submit photos to be featured in this space or in my Photo Detective column in Family Tree Magazine. Under the Navigation heading at the left is a link to How to Submit Your Photo.

While I look at and file each of the e-mails I receive from readers, you can increase the odds that you'll win this picture lottery by doing the following:

Use Family Tree Magazine in the subject line of your email.
Send me a question about the image, as well as anything at all you know or don't know about it.
Your contact information—name, address and telephone number. While I'm not apt to call overseas, if you live in the United States or Canada, don't be surprised to hear me on the other end of the telephone. I like to talk with folks about their pictures. It's amazing how much more can be learned through a conversation rather than an email. Obviously, I love having unlimited long-distance calling! <smile>
In order to really see the details in your pictures, I need them submitted in at least 300 dpi. If you send them smaller, all I can see when I enlarge a detail is a blur of pixels.

This isn't too bad, but if I were to enlarge it any further it wouldn't be usable.

Don't forget to send me a scan of the back of the photo if it has any information or a photographer's name and address.

If you'd like to submit a picture but you don't have a scanner, it is possible to send a copy of an image via regular mail. You can make a copy using one of those retail photo kiosks. The mailing instructions are in the link on the left.

One more thing—my e-mail archive goes back several years, so keep checking your e-mail. If you change e-mail addresses or telephone numbers, please resend your image with the new contact information. A lot of the e-mail inquires I respond to for additional data never get answered by the photo's submitter.

I love working on your photo mysteries!! Keep the emails coming in.

Finding the Story: Picture Clues and Family Facts

Maureen — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:48:24 GMT

There's nothing like a photo riddle when the picture and the facts don't add up. In my experience solving that particular problem relies on more than the pictorial evidence. You have to dive into family history in detail.

Let's take Joan Lee's photo of a young couple and their child as an example. It's a symbol of a long complicated family story that has so many twists and turns it's like a maze. A good way to gain freedom from the intricacies of this tangled web is to sort out the facts and list a series of questions.

This photo was given to Joan by a descendant of her husband's great grandfather's brother. He's identified as Fred Klingbeil, his wife and their son. It came with a sad story: The little boy supposedly drowned in Three Mile Lake in Ontario. If this is true, Joan can't find the proof. There's no death record, no cemetery record and no headstone where the family lived in Ontario.

But Joan has an even bigger problem. Does this photo even depict Fred Klingbeil? A timeline of his life compared to the photographic details conflict. He was a man on the move. (If anyone wants the exact citations for this article, please send me an email to mtaylor@taylorandstrong.com. Joan will be happy to supply them.)

Here are the facts of his life:

1882: Fred is born in Detroit, Mich., to Julius and Amelia Klingbeil, recent immigrants from Germany. According to family letters, Amelia was pregnant with Fred during their passage to America.

1891: Fred appears on the Canadian census for Windermere, Ont.

1902/03: A newspaper in Enderlin, ND, mentions that he's in town to build an addition onto his widowed mother's house.

1910: According to the U.S. Federal Census, Fred lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota working as a wallpaper hanger.

In October of 1910 he marries for the first time in Idaho. His bride, Marie Evans, states on the marriage record she's from Aberdeen, Wash.

Here's where it gets tricky. For this to be a photo of Fred and Marie with a son, it would have to be taken after 1910. But this woman's dress, with the belted waist and tight-fitting bodice, dates from about 1900.

Her hairstyle confirms the date. In my new book, Fashionable Folks: Hairstyles, I examine photos and discuss men's and women's hairstyles. The topknot on the crown of her head was common from the late 1890s to the turn of the century. By 1910, women wear their hair full around the face with a bun on the top. It's a different look from what's seen here. The father's upturned collar, suit style and silk tie are consistent with c. 1900 as well.

So is it a different Fred, or does it depict a different family?

You won't believe where this family history mystery goes! I'll be back next week with part 2. Stay tuned.

Photo Storytelling

Maureen — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:35:27 GMT

The holiday season is nearly upon us! It's a time of year I associate with food, family and friends, but it's also storytelling season. One of the traditions in my family is looking at old pictures—not just those taken a century ago, but those considered "old" by the kids in the family. You know ... their baby pictures! <smile>

Memory is a funny thing. You can show an older relative the same picture year after year and get no new information. Then all of sudden someone else in the room starts talking about an event related to the image, and remembrances start pouring out of that older relative. It's all about finding the right memory trigger.

Help the process along by taking steps. This means collecting details on the images in your photo collection.

Start by trying to place images in a time frame based on the clues discussed in this column—photographers' work dates, family history and fashion for instance.
Next, organize your images into a timeline so they're grouped by generation. I guarantee this will work. If you're going to show Great Aunt Hazel an unidentified photo taken in the 1930s, it helps to have other images from the same time period. Each detail in the pictures will help her sort out the facts.
If you've discovered any additional information about the picture, now's the time to share it.

Once the storytelling starts, it won't be limited to that one picture or even the group of images. You'll begin hearing about your great aunt's memories of that person, where they lived, how she knew them and what it was like to grow up during the Depression.

If you've remembered to bring along a tape recorder, you'll be able to listen to it again. She might even share some long lost family secret!

As for those youngsters who can't stop looking at their own childhood pictures, ask them to tell a story too. What were they doing or feeling on the day a particular picture was taken? What do they think about their clothing? Can they help you write a caption for the images in the family album? You bet!

Finding out the facts for each of your photos is fantastic, but it's the family storytelling that will last for generations. Photo storytelling is about using your photographs as visual treats to gaze while replaying the story of each one.

Collecting Pictures of Your Ancestors

Maureen — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:42:04 GMT

Genealogists are famous for collecting relatives, but what about acquiring images of those folks? Is it really possible to find previously unknown photos of family members from the advent of photography in 1839? The answer is that it depends.

Family circumstances, their comfort level with photography and the availability of photographers all determine if your ancestors sat for pictures in photo studios or not.

By the time the amateur photographer era with Kodak’s “You Push the Button, We Do the Rest” slogan came along in the 1880s, many families were interested in having pictures taken. But it wasn’t until the turn of the 20th century that snapshots really took off. Years of traveling around the country looking at family photos has taught me that most families had access to a camera by the early 20th century. There was suddenly an explosion of images. I’ve seen the proof.

This doesn’t mean that your family only took snapshots and didn’t sit for cabinet cards, tintypes, ambrotypes, or daguerreotypes. Frankly, the inheritance of images is a little sketchy. Sometimes images go to the oldest, sometimes the youngest and occasionally no one wants those unidentified images. At each junction of your family tree are opportunities for photo collections to be split amongst living relatives.

So who got what in yuor family? To figure that out you need a plan. It’s a lot like a research plan for information, only this time you’re hunting for pictures.

Mark Your Family Tree

If you own images of various folks on your family tree, mark that information by highlighting or if you’re using family tree software attach those images to the person’s information. This helps you see where the gaps are.

Contact Relatives

This means locating all living relatives to see if they have any photographs. If you have a gap for a particular branch of the family, this could mean that either they didn’t take pictures or someone else inherited them. Read my article on tracing your family forward for tips on researching family lines from 1839 to the present.

Post Your Search

A colleague once used a message board to see if anyone had data on a branch of her family. The person who responded said they didn’t, BUT they had a photo album. Hurrah! My friend asked to copy all the images in it. She didn’t have the material she sought, but she did find a few dozen images all taken in the 1860s.

Look Online

I have bad research luck. My family just doesn’t want to be found. At least that’s what I’ve decided. Imagine my surprise when I decided to type a name into Ancestry.com and click on a family tree. Turns out a very distant cousin created an Ancestry family tree and on it he’d posted images. They were pictures of my great-grandparents that even my mother had never seen. I did the genealogical happy dance that day!

Online searching includes using image search engines like Google.com and reunion sites such as DeadFred.

Library Bound

Let's not forget the treasure troves of images held in local history collections in historical societies, archives and public libraries. Search their online digital collections first then contact the organization and find out how to hire someone to ferret out images in their collections.

There are lots of opportunities to find pictures. Your family tree is a map and a compass combined. If you've been successful in your hunt for pictures send me an e-mail. I love to hear good news!

Spotlight: Denver Public Library Picture Collection

Maureen — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:38:42 GMT

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 all of the images depict winter scenes, but if you have any family in the Denver area, this is one collection you have to consult. The library has about a 100,000 images online and that's just the tip of their very large collection.

The National Endowment for the Humanities gave the Denver Public Library a grant in 1997, and since then, the library has been quickly adding material to this gorgeous digital archive. To bring the "chill" of winter into my office, I began by browsing through images of the 10th Mountain Division, then wandered over to the picture galleries of children and scenes of the Denver area. It's armchair traveling at it's best.

While you're exploring the site, check out the links to the electronic finding aids. They're fully searchable.

The Denver Public Library isn't the only library with such collections. Public libraries all over the country usually have picture and manuscript collections. Their librarians are custodians of local history. I strongly advise you to ask about the holdings of your local library.

I'd also like to send a big thank you to James Jeffreys of the Western History and Genealogy Department of the Denver Public Library for his help with an Photo Detective article slated for the December 2009 Family Tree Magazine.

Raising the Roof: Architectural Images

Maureen — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:44:50 GMT

This week's blog column is actually the second part of a photo mystery. The first installment appears in my Photo Detective article in the July 2009 Family Tree Magazine. That issue should be in your mail boxes starting this week.

Here's a synopsis of the problem: Bergetta Monroe has a mystery photo (of course!) of a farm. She doesn't know where it was taken or when, but she has a list of possible surnames for folks that could have owned the property.

In the article, I offer tips to solve this family mystery and promise to discuss the architectural details in this blog.

I've taken this picture apart section by section, looking for elements that could help identify this mid-19th century farm. The main house appears to be in the Greek Revival style, which is characterized by Doric columns on the front porch and a pitched roof. The windows feature six-over-six panes of glass. Greek Revival design was popular from 1825 to 1860.

Other features are visible when you enlarge the front yard of the house:

Look closely. You can see the simple Doric columns, but also visible are nine hitching posts for horses and a fence on the other side of the house. That could signal a road nearby.

The dominant greenery are pine trees. In front of the fence in the foreground is tilled land and some young trees, possibly fruit bearing varieties. If this house and yard is still intact, those saplings would be much bigger by now.

My favorite building on the property is the Italianate style barn, with its turreted roof and bracketed cornices (along the roof line). It even has arched windows, one of the determining details in that architectural style.

This particular building style dates from 1850 to 1880, possibly making the barn newer than the house. Why else would the owners build their dwelling in one style and the barn in a more elaborate style? So many questions...

There are many outbuildings on this property, and the size and condition of those structures suggest this was a prosperous farm. It appears that there are smaller farms in the vicinity. Note the dwelling to the rear left, behind the barn. That doesn't appear to part of this estate.

In the July 2009 Family Tree Magazine, I discuss a date for this photo, but that only begins to tell the story of this farm. Given the family information Monroe supplied, this picture was taken in New England, either Vermont, New Hampshire or Massachusetts. The likeliest location is Vermont. You'll have to read the story to find out why (grin).

We're still trying to identify the exact location.

Irish Pictures

Maureen — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:11:39 GMT

Before I launch into a list of Web sites handy for finding pictures of your Irish ancestors, I need to thank genea-blogger Randy Seaver for naming last week's video of hairstyles to his best blog posts of the week. Thank you, Randy!

Now on to sites with images of the Emerald Isle and its people.

National Library of Ireland
These digital collections are searchable by keyword. Select images are available in digital form for browsing. Unfortunately, only a small portion of their collection is available online, the majority must be used in person. Need an excuse to go to Ireland?

Old UK Photos
According to the home page, "this Web site was launched in July of 2006, with the idea of preserving old pictures in perpetuity and displaying as many old photographs as we can of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands." You can look for free, but none of the images is available for purchase or use.

Francis Frith
Search the Web site of this photographic publisher for images of England, Eire, Norhern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It contains an interactive feature that allows you to add your own story. If you see an image or collection of images that you'd liek to save, create an online album.

Don't forget to check collections in the countries in which your Irish ancestors settled. For instance, the Library of Congress collection has pictures of Irish immigrants.

Join in the Dialogue: Organizing Photos

Maureen — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:06:42 GMT

There were several comments to my last week's posting on scanning and organizing pictures.

Miriam Robbin Midkiff, who writes a blog called AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors, also hosts Scanfest, a monthly online scanning session held the last Sunday of every month. She's invited all of you and your friends to attend. Miriam can send you instructions on how to join in on the chat session to keep life interesting while placing photos on a scanner. Learn more about Scanfest on her blog. Mark your calendar for the next Scanfest, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. PCT on Jan. 25. If I can get my Windows Live Messenger to work, I'll be there.

A reader pointed out that you can digitally tag pictures using the free program called Fototagger. I'm a huge fan. Try it and see why.

Another person inquired about using adhesive labels on the backs of photos. I don't advocate using any adhesives on pictures. As a former archivist, I've seen the long-term damage.

Instead, I'd suggest placing the photo in a non-PVC sleeve of a similar size and including a same-size sheet of acid- and lignin-free cardstock. You can put the label on that paper, rather than the back of the picture. I've purchased non-PVC sleeves from a number of vendors (run a Google search on archival supplies).

Thank you, Linda! She wrote a long comment about ways to use the free photo-organizing software Picasa, and how she "files" her pictures on her computer. It's full of great tips.

As always Kathryn, thank you for being a fan. Of course you can post a link to last week's photo-organizing post in the California Genealogical Society's e-newsletter. Can you include a link in the comment section of this posting to share the other tips in the newsletter?

I actually took two weeks off this holiday season! Of course I did some photo- related activities. For readers who live in the Washington, DC, area, check out the exhibit of photographic jewelry at the National Portrait Gallery. It's called Tokens of Affection and Regard: Photographic Jewelry and Its Makers, and it's fantastic. There's also an exhibit on photographs of Abraham Lincoln and online exhibition links on the Web site.

Happy Holidays! Tips to Remember

Maureen — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:04:16 GMT

I've been writing this column for so long I've lost count of the years. Every one of them has been wonderful. I've had a chance to work with so many interesting photos and to chat with their owners. (Yes, I really do use those phone numbers you supply with your contact information.) I really like the blog format because it enables you to respond to the columns I've written. Thank you for all your support!

My next two columns are shorter than usual due to the holidays. It's definitely a hectic time of the year. I don't know about the traditions in your family, but in mine, no holiday is complete without dragging out albums and boxes of photos. It gives us a chance to reminisce about those no longer with us.

This is also a great time to think about those mystery photos and take another look at the details.

During the years of writing this column I've compiled a list of the top four details often overlooked by individuals when trying to date and identify family photos. It's easy to do when carried away with the bigger puzzle of who's in a picture.

Calendars
Is there a calendar in the background?

The one in this photo establishes a date of May, 1904. Even without the calendar, the map of the United States behind them makes an interesting clue.

Flags
If there's a US flag in a photo, start dating the picture by counting the stars in the flag. The addition of states during the late 19th and early 20th century meant that flags were frequently changed. Of course, you'll have to add up the rest of the clues in the picture to see if it's a flag current to the details in the image.

Signage
Use your genealogical know-how to use city directories and other tools to research the businesses mention in a sign in a picture. It could pinpoint a location as well as supply a time frame.

Tax Stamps
From Aug. 1, 1864, to Aug. 1, 1866, the United States taxed photographs. If you own a carte de visite with a stamp on the back, you'll have a two-year time frame for the image. The value of the stamp is a clue to how much your ancestor paid to have the image made. Photographers were supposed to put their initials and a date on the stamp, but that didn't always happen.

There are lots of other details that appear in pictures from postage stamps to even dress collars (I'll save that tip for later) and cars. Next time you look at a family photo make a list of all the evidence in a picture and then try to solve the identification problem.

Happy holidays!

Photo Clones: Duplicates in the Family

Maureen — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:14:24 GMT

This photo's owner Diane Gould Hall knows these six women are the Hunter Sisters. In the back row (left to right) are Grace Hunter (1874-1946), Daisy Hunter (1876-1948), and Ada Emily Hunter (1865-1949). In the front row are Estelle M. Hunter (1867-1947), Florence Hunter (1869-1946), and Myra Hunter (1859-1938). Florence is Diane's great-grandmother.

Diane knows this was taken after 1892 because another sister died that year, and she's not present. The sisters' beautiful, diaphanous blouses appear in fashion catalogs for the period 1910 to about 1915. If this picture was taken about 1915, the sisters would range in age from 39 to 56.

In the course of our email correspondence, Diane mentioned two interesting facts:

Grace Hunter's husband Charles Fenner and his brothers owned a photo studio in Lima, Ohio. That's where this picture was taken.
When she posted this image on her Ancestry.com family tree, a cousin contacted her. Turns out, that cousin owned a picture from this same studio sitting. Diane was amazed. In the second image, the sisters are seated in a different order!

How often have you considered that a photo in your collection might not be the only copy? Our ancestors went to the photo studio to acquire a picture, but "package deals" offered the opportunity to obtain multiple copies of the same image. Duplicates made it easy to share pictures to relatives.

Since professional photographers usually took several different poses to make sure all parties were happy with the final image, the extra prints might be slightly different.

Diane's discovery is proof that you should ask to see the photo collections in the hands of distant cousins. Who knows what you'll uncover! You could solve that photo identification mystery or find new pictures.

The latter happened to me recently. A distant cousin posted online pictures of my great-great grandparents. My mother and I had no idea that these images even existed.

Don't Do Thanksgiving Without These Essentials

Maureen — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:35:36 GMT

Before you think I'm going to divulge my secret pie recipe <smile>, I should clarify that the treats in the title are genealogy-related, not culinary.

When you think about what you're bringing to the Thanksgiving food fest, do you include your family history materials? I know that at my table, there will be a turkey with all the trimmings, but that along with feast there will be a dose of genealogy talk.

Here are some ways to introduce photo identification and family history into the conversation.

Bring photocopies of your unidentified pictures. Leave the originals at home so the copies suffer any gravy stains. Make an extra set of copies—one for notes and the other for showing off.

Put them in an album or just pass them around and see if anyone recognizes the scene or the people.

I recently bought a small digital voice recorder. It was an inexpensive purchase. If you have one, tape the conversation so you don't have to take detailed notes while everyone is talking.

If you're going to take pictures on Turkey Day, make sure your camera is in working order beforehand. Have you recharged the batteries? If you still use film, remember to bring along an extra roll.

Invite your family to participate in a social networking site, such as FaceBook, and create your own group for the gang. My husband's family has done it. It's a great way to share pictures and keep track of everyone until the next gathering.

If you sign up, I'd be happy to add you to my list of Facebook Friends. There's an enormous number of genealogists of all ages on FaceBook. Try it and see!

As for that secret pie recipe... I'll share it with family. My husband's grandmother took her chutney recipe to the grave and we really miss it. If you've inherited a family recipe, ask around the table and see if anyone wants to create a cookbook. It's not that difficult and with self-publishing sites like Lulu, it doesn't cost much, either.

Happy Thanksgiving! If you've got a picture of your ancestors gathered around the Thanksgiving table, send it to me. I'll post it in this blog.

Thank you for all the hairstyle pictures! Now I have to figure out how to incorporate them all into this space—it's a good problem to have.

Medical Conditions and Family History

Maureen — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:23:52 GMT

Two weeks ago I put out a call for photos showing medical conditions. There are three images and one blog link in this post so be sure to read all the way to the end.

The inspiration for that request was a photo that Elizabeth Vollrath emailed me in May.

It's a lovely 1880s photograph showing an unusual feature in her right ear. While not a medical condition, it made me think about details in photos.

Vollrath's dad inherited the split in the earlobe, showing a relationship to this unknown woman. I wondered whether she was his grandmother. I was close. A cousin later positively identified this woman as Ida Sophia Hass (b. 1866). Ida's sister Pauline Hass was Vollrath's great-great-grandmother, and her dad's great grandmother.

Diedra March sent me this photo of her great-grandfather's family.

She thinks her dad has inherited macular degeneration from this man, his mother's father. Anders Norberg appears to have something wrong with his eyes. According to March, Macular Degeneration causes blindness in your center vision, and people with the condition often look out of the corners of their eyes.

Rachel McPherson shared a photo of a school group that shows her grandmother in a leg brace (front row, fourth from right) due to polio.

She was born in 1933, before a vaccine was available.

Bloggers like to share through their online postings. The Footnote Maven posted a medically related photo on her blog, Shades of the Departed, on "Health Issues and Women Wearing Glasses."

Thank you to everyone who sent images in response to my request!

Unknown Soldiers

Maureen — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:14:07 GMT

I owe a big thank-you to readers who sent pictures of the military men in their family. My in box has quite of few images of men in mystery uniforms, so I thought focusing on military pictures for another week was warranted.

Pay attention to the details such as these in a uniform, to help identify when it was worn.

During the Civil War, belt buckles often bore state abbreviations or CSA for the Confederate States of America.

Hats are key. The shape and design of the hat can specify a time frame while insignia can help you identify the unit in which the soldier served.

Cloth chevrons on the sleeves and shoulders of a uniform and insignia on the collar or headgear signified rank.

Not all uniforms are military in origin. Fraternal groups costumes and occupational attire is often confused with military uniforms.

Unfortunately, there's no single source that shows all the uniforms worn by soldiers or sailors. In the 19th century, there was quite a diversity of uniforms, with each unit having its own. Colorful attire such as the Turkish pants worn by the Zouaves were just one recognizable variation.

If you don't know who's depicted in photograph of a soldier or a sailor, try finding evidence of military service in documents—pension records, enlistment papers and other genealogical materials.

Keep in mind that not all the military photos in your photo collection depict relatives—they could be friends of the family. One of the emails I received was from Connie L. Huntling. Her grandmother worked at a Veterans Administration hospital in Plattsburg, NY, during World War I. In her papers were many photographs of men who were patients at the hospital. Connie sent me the two in this post two with the hope that someone will recognize these men.

Please take a look at and click Comment below to tell me if you have any ideas about who the men might be. I'm going to ask Huntling to post the pictures to the photo-reunion site DeadFred as well.

Military Memories

Maureen — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:50:34 GMT

In honor of Memorial Day, I'll mention two items appropriate for the occasion. First, if you enjoyed the books Dating Old Photographs and More Dating Old Photographs (Moorshead Magazines), then you're going to love the new one in the series. Dating Military Photographs will let you compare all your mysterious military images to those other people have submitted.

If you'd like to contribute a few pictures, you can read more about the project on the Family Chronicle Web site. The editors are looking for images of miltary personnel from the Mexican War up to and including World War I. The editors have asked for a little information about each picture, such as when the person served.

Speaking of World War I, attendees at the National Genealogical Society conference in Kansas City were treated to one of the country's best museums (that's my opinion anyway). Who knew the city housed a museum dedicated to World War I? I didn't. A colleague suggested it was well worth a visit. She was right! The National World War One Museum was a visual experience:

Visitors watch two movies about the time period that include actual footage from the era.

A recreated trench lets you experience how scary it must have been to fight from those mud-walled pits.

There are tanks and uniforms galore as well as a poppy field of honor for those who died during the war.

The uniform displays alone taught me a few things about military attire during that world war. If you get a chance to visit Kansas City, make sure you include a visit to this museum.

If you have an image of an ancestor in a World War I uniform, send it to me. I'll feature it next week.

New Zealand Mystery Revisited

Maureen — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 15:23:32 GMT

While I planned to write a second installment for the photo featured in last week's blog posting, I'll postpone it a week due to an email I received. It was a call for help.

In October 2000 (that's seven and a half years ago), I wrote about this haunting photograph of a woman in mourning in New Zealand Mystery.

Now someone e-mailed me trying to contact Dafanie Goldsmith, the owner of the picture.

Since I've had several computer crashes since 2000, I no longer have Goldsmith's contact information. The person who e-mailed me has genealogical data on one of Goldsmith's lines and would really like to find her.

In an attempt to resolve this "missing person" issue, I googled Goldsmith and discovered she's a high profile genealogist.

Family Tree Magazine once even named her Web site a site of week.
A newspaper in Lancashire wrote a story about Goldsmith's search for her family in 1999.
She also exists in countless message board postings. I found them by Googling her name. (If you ever wondered whether you're leaving a Web trail behind, try searching on your name in a search engine.)

Using the clues, I've sent Goldsmith e-mails using addresses used in her postings and even joined a New Zealand social networking site to send her a private message. No results. As a last resort, I'm hoping she still reads this column.

Dafanie, if you're out there please send me an email. The other researcher might just be able to solve one of your brick walls.

Old-Photo Reunions

Maureen — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:50:07 GMT

I have a friend who has phenomenal family history luck. Around each genealogical corner is another discovery. She goes to libraries and finds new family in almost every book she picks up, posts online queries and actually gets an answer. A couple of years ago she used a popular message board to try to find out more about a couple that moved west. What do you think happened? You're right. She met a distant cousin who not only knew all about the married pair, she had a photo album full of pictures from the 1870s. In one fell swoop she reconnected with a whole generation of folks. Sheesh!

If you envy her picture success and want to locate pictures of your ancestors then try these tips:

Check out a reunion site.

DeadFred.com is the most popular with more than 5,000 people looking for images each week. If you find family then email Joe and his staff. They'll try to facilitate a reunion by putting you in touch with the person who posted. If it's a picture that the staff at DeadFred bought and posted and you can prove your relationship, the picture is yours.
AncientFaces.com is probably the second runner up in the reunion category. I don't have stats for the site, but take a look. It's well worth a visit.

Post to a message board

When you post looking for information add that you'd love to see pictures of these ancestors as well. There are hundreds of genealogy message boards so rather than list them here go to Cyndislist.com for Queries and Message Boards.

Search digital libraries

The Library of Congress is just one of many libraries across the country and overseas with digital image collections. A list of sites appeared in the October 2003 issue of Family Tree Magazine in the article "Picturing the Past" by David Fryxell. That'll get you started, but in the four years since the article appeared even smaller historical societies and libraries have begun adding pictures to their web sites.

Hope these tips enable you to find new images of relatives. Share your successful photo reunions on the Photo Detective Forum. I can't wait to hear about what you've found!

Photo Detective in the News

Diane — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:38:37 GMT

Vintage photo fans, be sure to check out Maureen's appearance in today's Wall Street Journal Weekend Journal section. See part of the article and examples of her work online.

Also, on the Genealogy Insider blog, we link to some of Maureen's photo-sleuthing advice for Family Tree Magazine readers.

What a Photo Can Tell You About Your Ancestor

Maureen — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:10:22 GMT

This week I started making a list of all the things you can tell about a person from their portrait. I'd like you to add to my list my using the comment section. If you have an example to illustrate your point upload it to the Photo Detective Forum.

Here's what I have so far:

1) Occupation
If your ancestor wore distinctive clothing or posed in the workplace then you might be able to tell how they made their living.

2) Medical Conditions
Gnarled arthritic hands, thyroid conditions, eye diseases and more are all visible in a family photo.

3) Military Service
Anyone posed in a military uniform is obvious, but check lapels for veteran's pins.

4) Weddings
Watch for white hats and veils that signify a matrimonial event, but remember that not all brides wore white and not all white dresses are wedding gowns.

5) Education
Did your ancestor chose to pose with a book? Perhaps it's not just a prop, but a symbol of their ability to read.

6) Religion
A Bible or other religious symbol in a photo indicates your ancestor's faith.

Don't forget to add your clues. Got a question? Post it to the Photo Detective Forum.