Goal 2: Gather photos and documents of ancestors from others, and organize them.
This helps you learn about your ancestors' lives in a personal way.
Choices
A Contact living relatives or others who might have photos or documents for you to add.
B Add photos and documents from others to your collection, and catalog them.
Vault
Summary
- Label photos with as many details as you know (age, name, date it was taken, location, etc.).
- When physically labeling the photo, use the correct type of writing utensil to preserve the photo as much as possible.
- Journals, letters, and diaries are some of the most valuable family records, but photos and documents are just as useful.
- You can often unlock family mysteries by looking through family records. Identify unknown individuals in photos by comparing them to other labeled photos or by taking them to a relative and seeing if they know.
- Organize photos and documents you receive into your collection. Store physical copies in a safe place, and store digital files on your computer and in a backup location.
- In a separate document, add descriptions for each item (catalog them).
- Make notes of missing information and questions you have about any items.
Resources
- Research: Here are some additional ideas on gathering memories.
GC—Getting Started in Research
- Learn abut using ancestor diaries to further your research.
LT— How To Accurately Use Diaries of Ancestors in Genealogy Research
- Sources: Learn about other sources for finding family photographs.
AF—Unusual Sources for Finding Old Family Photos - 2017
- Photo Labels: Learn how to add labels to your photographs.
TH— How to Label Your Digital Photographs - 2019
- Metadata: Learn how to add metadata (descriptions) to your digital photographs.
FS—Adding Metadata to Your Digital Photos
FS—Metadata Basics: How to Keep Your Stories Alive Digitally
Exercises
- * Good: Add descriptions for each of the family history items you receive from others.
- * Proficient: After adding the descriptions, make notes of missing information you want to investigate.