I was inspired by the boxes of family photos I had been given by not only my side of the family but my husband's side as well. I'm focusing on photos today because sometimes it's the pictures that starts a person asking questions about family. I've become the token family historian and that is just fine by me. :) Many times it's the old photos that brings the younger and older generations together to bring out the stories. This might be the catalyst for getting into genealogy. So let's start there. You've got a big or maybe just a handful of great grandma's old pictures. Now what?
The first job is to SORT & SEPARATE. This is very much like those home improvement shows you see where the organizer creates piles like "keep, toss & donate."
PART 1: IDENTIFIED.
Let's start with the easy stuff first. When going through that old box of family photos, find ones that have identified the people or person in the photo. It can have the person's name or it might just say "My niece Linda" or "Uncle Joe's cousin." Maybe it uses nicknames like "Honey and Bud." It doesn't matter yet if you know who they are or not. Just as long as there is some type of identification. Remember, we are not guessing or assuming here. We will get to that later. Just find photos that identify people. Everything else can go back in the box for now.
The next step in The Great Photo Organization is to gather photo preserving supplies. Some things we might need are:
- archival gloves
- photograph sleeves
- photo labels
- fine tip black pen
- magnifying loupe
- measuring tape
- Photo worksheets
The most necessary items are the sleeves and the labels. These will protect your photos from wear and save them from further damage. The other item I highly recommend is the photo identifying worksheet. Family Tree University has several that are free to download.
Start by fitting your photo into a sleeve and adhere a label to the front. If the photo is delicate or in poor shape, you may want to wear archival gloves when handling to prevent further damage. The photos we are discussing should already have a name on the back so just put your photo in a sleeve and adhere the filled out label on the front. Like this:
Then fill out the photo worksheet you downloaded. Make sure you attach a photo copied image to it as instructed. When we get to the family filing system, the photo worksheet will be filed under the correct person's name and the original can either be kept in that file or in a photo box. Your worksheet should look something like this:
Once you have your identified photos labeled and protected, you can scan them and organize them within your computer's photo software. Add the word "scanned" to the bottom of your label. At this point you can set these aside or you can get a head start on your filing cabinet filing system. To do that you will need the following items:
- filing cabinet or file box
- hanging file folders
- tabbed file folders
Each finished photo will have a tabbed file folder. Use a pencil and write the name on the top of each folder. Each folder will have it's own hanging file. Organizing has begun! Great job! Now, I know you are thinking I have a file named "Uncle Joe's cousin!" It's okay and that's why we use a pencil. When you start researching people Uncle Joe may pop up and at some point we may find the cousin's name or at least, the surname. Another method, if you have a ton of photos and many are identified is to create surname folders instead. All the "Welch" family photos go into one folder for example.
The next post will be Part 2 in the photo series: Unlabeled photos
The next post will be Part 2 in the photo series: Unlabeled photos
