Other Places to Find Family Photos
Having any family photos are essential to putting together your family history. Now you may have already checked with relatives and friends and gotten copies of photos they had, but are there other ones out there somewhere?
Here are a few ideas of other locations to check.
One largely overlooked source is public collections. This would include county, city, and state historical archives. The State of Florida for example has an online site just of their vast collection of photos. These images are of people, places, and events in the state over the decades. Other governmental archives in other states might also do the same, you need to check it out.
Find all local historical museums located near where your ancestors lived. It doesn’t have to be just the city or county, try the neighboring counties. Provide as much information; names, dates so they can check.
One of my favorite sources is old newspapers. You just never know what might be found. Check with the hometown newspapers, see what is available and how to access the papers. Use the online digital newspaper collections such as ‘newspapers.com’ and ‘newspaperarchives’. Check neighboring counties and cities.
Many local genealogical societies also have a collection of photos of local residents. Such societies might be for a town, city or county. They are worth finding out about.
If an ancestor was a long-time member of an organization such as Masonic Lodge, Woman’s Club, Kiwanis Club, etc, those local chapters have photos of their members.
If no date is with a photo, study and learn about clothing styles and what the people are wearing. If a car is in the photo, that can be great for giving an approximate date.
Make an effort to locate even just one more photo from your family. Treasure such photos, they are special and offer true historical documentation of your family. Just remember, that ancestor posed for that photo, handled it and made sure it was saved for the descendants.
Photo: 1930-1933 – Charles H. Rue of the Masonic Lodge in Stuart, FL
Related FamilyTree.com Blogs:
Vintage Photos of Places and People
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