Someone Else found Your Family Photo



Pile of photosA family historian is always on the outlook for treasured family photos. There are long lost cousins who just might have photos of your great grandmother you had never seen. However, there are other people, not related in any form who also looking for old photos. They think of themselves as collections of antique family photos. They also look for family Bibles, letters and documents in yard sales, flea markets, online auctions, second-hand stores, etc. in hopes of one day uniting the image or document with its rightful family.

There are many such collectors across the world. One such team are two fellows named Larry Ford and Eric Nagle. They have collected for years and amassed over 3,000 original antique photos dating back to the 1860s. They have set up the web site to make available their catalog of images and documents. If a researcher finds a photo that is from their family they can contact Nagle and Ford to have the item mailed or shipped to them. The only cost would be in what the item cost to obtain at the flea market, etc and the cost of shipping. The cost runs between $15 and $30, a small price for someone locating a priceless original family photo, bible or document and getting it back to the family.

On the site they have placed the images and a description in alphabetical order based on the a person’s last name or a listing of surnames from the photo. When examining the index it is good to search the maiden names of ancestors also.

Any information on the photo is included on the index, including when it was purchased, where and any dates on the photo. Names or relationships are written out, such as ‘Charles Jones uncle’ and will be on the index. The name of photo studios and their locations are provided. They also have a listing of those photos returned to the rightful families.

Approximately 80 heirloom family Bibles are listed and numerous birth certificates, communion, confirmation, marriage licenses, funeral cards, membership cards, deeds and yearbooks. The site run by two fellows who are strangers to the family may have just assisted in reuniting family heirlooms. Careful viewing all the names just might turn up a few surprises.

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