Rookie Genealogy

Have you looked at your old family photos for research clues? No, I mean really look at them. Did you look at the surroundings, the weather, the cars, the uniforms? Family history clues could be right in front of your eyes in old photos. d

Finding those clues and knowing how to turn that into information can be difficult. Often those clues are right in front us but we are not looking past the surface. How can photos open up a wealth of information and further our research? Let’s take a closer look.

Uniforms: Military, Civil Service, and Businesses

Uniforms in photos can open up whole new avenue for your research. Are relatives in any of your photos wearing a military uniform? Even in group photos a relative may be wearing a full uniform, a hat, a medal, or even have a military tattoo.

In the photo below are two relatives both wearing military uniforms. One is Navy and the other is Army. The child in the photo is my aunt and on the back it says ‘and uncles’. I am able to determine this is most likely my grandmother’s brothers. I can go to military archives and gain further knowledge on their time in the service as well as the tours in World War II.

The photo below includes my grandfather on the right. In this photo he is wearing a uniform. He is also standing in front of a train. Putting those two facts together and looking into uniform descriptions (most notably the hat) I find out that this is a train conductor’s hat and uniform. This also would explain why he is standing in front of a train with another man who looks to be wearing a train workers uniform.

Buildings

Look at the buildings in family photos. Really take a hard look and use a magnifying glass if you need to. Is there a name on any businesses? Do you see a number on the house or structure?

The photo below was in the possession of my mother’s family. I was uncertain of why and who may have lived in the home. I had looked at the photo many times but could only wonder. It wasn’t until I really scrutinized every part of this picture and finally noticed faint writing at the bottom of the picture. I used editing software within MyHeritage to colorize the photo and increase the contrast until I was able to make out the writing that appeared to be in pencil. Finally, I had an answer: “Homestead 1808 Washington St.”. I instantly knew that my grandmother’s family had lived on Washington Street in my hometown of Michigan City, Indiana. Street view of the home in present day also confirmed this to be the same home. They matched!

Below is another photo that I had in my possession for a long time. I was always fixated on the people in the photo and their faces. Once again I used editing software (MyHeritage) to colorize the photo and add contrast and noticed writing on the bottom. The text “Home E. Sixth St” becomes visible.

I knew this picture was from my maternal grandmother’s side so I went to the census records of 1880, 1900 and 1910 to see if I could gain any insight. In 1900 the same family that ended up moving to the house in the above photo on Washington St. in 1910 lived on E. Sixth Street first. The people in the photo also matched the genders and general ages of those on the census record. I now had photos of both of their homes ranging from about 1898-1960! This house was torn down ages ago to make room for an outlet mall so I could not conduct street view comparisons.

The ability to look closer at old family photographs and scrutinize the details can unlock clues to further your research. We often focus on the faces and ponder what year the photo was taken and miss other details that can tell us more about their lives.

Clothing, hats, pins, buildings, weather, cars, and so much more can tell us the lives our ancestors lived and the events they went through. Discover more in photos, discover more about your family.

Ancestry brick walls in genealogy are never fun and can lead to endless frustration. There came a point in my research recently when I felt I had exhausted all avenues of sources. I needed to jump start my research again. I was now on the hunt for stories- tidbits you can’t find in public records.

How do you go about finding personal genealogy stories? Relatives. Strangers that are relatives, close relatives and distant relatives.

Reaching out to strangers that you are related to can be intimidating and scary but they could hold the hammer that breaks down your ancestry brick wall. Information that may be important to you could be stored away in a distant relatives attic and be something they don’t think is of value to anyone. What they think is irrelevant is very much relevant to a family researcher like you.

Types of genealogy documents and heirlooms to look for:

Diaries, journals and other writings
Photos including old picture negatives and photo albums (for dating old photos check out this post)
Family bibles
Original naturalization papers
Military medals and attire
Baptismal certificates
Research from other family researchers
Home purchase records
Club and society booklets and annuals

In the past I have had relatives in passing describe to me items they have in their possession. When I get excited to see it they tell me they never thought it was important or that no one would care about it. For example, many years ago a relative gave me an old family bible and thought it didn’t mean much. However, inside was the handwriting of my great grandmother and recordings of her children’s full names and dates of birth. A treasure at its best.

Polish Society List revealed that relatives were members (Piechnik’s).

Take a chance and reach out!

Reaching out to strangers that you are technically related to can be a scary step. They may ignore you, they may question your intentions of contacting them or they may not be the kindest person. I assure you the possibility of a great reward on the other side of that courage could be worth it in your ancestry research.

However, keep this in mind:

Do not pressure the relative. Be gentle, be kind.
Do not ask them for their personal information. As a genealogist you need to protect information of those that are living. Stress that you are looking for information of ancestors who are no longer with us. If they want to share more information with you about themselves they will.
Introduce yourself, describe what you have been working on and items or information you may be looking for. Be specific in what genealogical information you are looking for. Stating you are looking for ‘family information’ may get you no where. Ask them if they have a family bible or journal or if your common ancestor that was in World War I had any medals or military records. Give them ideas to jog their memory of what they may have stored away.
Do not ask for originals of documents. Simply ask for a scan, digital copy or even just a picture of the document. You are looking for information, not to create a hoard of heirlooms.
If the discussion of heirloom items comes up you may ask if they could send you a picture of it. However, never ask for the item or for a group of items to be partially given to you. This may sound like common sense but believe me, I have seen people do this as if they are entitled to family heirlooms.

Family bible with handwritten birth dates

Ways to Reach Out

Facebook: Do you know some relatives names and where they live? Search for them on Facebook and send a message. I have done this multiple times and it has connected me with family I never knew, pictures I never had, and stories I never could have imagined. I was able to break down those ancestry brick walls by simply reaching out.
DNA Matches: Have you taken a DNA test with genealogy sites like Ancestry.com, 23andme.com, or MyHeritage? If you have then reach out to some of those closer DNA matches. Look for matches that have a family tree connected to their profile or more family information entered in as they are probably just as curious about family history as you are.
Distant relatives you already know: Are there relatives you know but maybe don’t talk to very often? Reach out with an email, phone call, or handwritten letter. If they live close ask if you could meet up for coffee.
Close relatives: Have you really asked your closest relatives about information or heirlooms they may have? I bet a lot you would say ‘No’. It is amazing how many family researchers don’t actually sit down and ask their parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles specific questions about their family and what documents they may not realize they are harboring. Interview close relatives.

Lastly, make sure you keep notes in your genealogy sources. Keep track of what information you received from which relative. This will help if you need to go back and do a follow up question.