"31 Days of Tips from The Archive Lady"
DAY #5
Finding Photographs in an Archive
Finding
a photograph of our ancestor can be a genealogical accomplishment and a
reason to do the "Genealogy Happy Dance". Many genealogists, like
myself, are still looking for their ancestor's photograph. Did you know
that many archives have photograph collections? This fact may not be
known by most genealogists because photograph collections are not in
plain site and available in the research room. Photograph collections
are usually housed in a records vault or in a back room in cold storage
stacks.
 |
| Stewart County, TN. Archives Back Room Stacks |
Photographs
are donated to archives on a regular basis. Recently, the local
newspaper in Houston County, Tennessee donated their entire collection
of old photographs to the Houston County Archives. All photographs are
now taken digitally and never printed. These boxes of photographs
included people, buildings, local events and many other subjects. The
Houston County Archives is now processing these photographs,
inventorying them and will eventually digitize them to be shared
online.
 |
| Donated Photo Albums, Houston County, TN. Archives |
Photographs of individuals, groups, couples and children are a big part
of most photograph collections. Also, photographs of local buildings,
houses and business can be part of the collection. There could also be
school group photos, church Sunday school classes and the local Garden
Club available in archived photograph collections.
Whenever
visiting an archive, always ask about their Photograph Collection. The
archivist may first give you an index to look through. If you see
something of interest, tell the archivist or make a written request that
those particular photographs be pulled and brought to you.
When
the archivist brings the photographs, do not be surprised if you are
asked to wear gloves to handle them. The oils and dirt on hands can
damage photographs if handled without gloves. Even though the
photographs maybe contained in archival sleeves, gloves may still be
required.
 |
| Tools of the Archivist, Including Gloves, Houston County, TN. Archives |
Ask
about the "Unidentified Photographs" in the collection. Almost all
archives have unidentified photographs just waiting for someone to
identify them. This group is usually the largest section of the
photograph collection. If you know what your ancestor's looked like,
please take time to search through the unidentified photographs to see
if you can find identify any of the photographs.
 |
| Unidentified Group Photo, Houston County, TN. Archives |
It
is always so sad when I receive a donation of photographs and most of
them are unidentified. I look at the faces in those photographs and I
know those people belong to someone who is doing genealogy research. I
just wish I could reunite them.
The
next time you are visiting an archive, talking with the archivist on
the phone or emailing them, ask about their photograph collections. You
might be pleasantly surprised!
REMEMBER: IT'S NOT ALL ONLINE: CONTACT OR VISIT AN ARCHIVE TODAY!!
***********
Photographs Can be Found in Scrapbooks Too!!
Check Out My Legacy Family Tree Webinar:
Scrapbooks: A Genealogist's Gold Mine
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