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A Genealogist In The Archives

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Finding Unidentified Photographs in the Archives

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. A few years ago, the local newspaper in Houston County, Tennessee donated their entire collection of old photographs to the Houston County Archives. All photographs newspapers print 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 "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!!


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Photographs Can be Found in Scrapbooks Too!!
Check Out My Legacy Family Tree Webinar:

Scrapbooks: A Genealogist's Gold Mine




Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Female Ancestors and Women's History Month

In genealogy, we say that everyone has a story to tell. As genealogists it is our job to document and tell the stories of our ancestors. Each person in our ancestry lived a unique life that only they could have lived. Good or bad, each person’s story should be told. Our female ancestors have a story to tell as well.


Josephine Annette Curtis and Agnes Marie Curtis, ca. 1920's

Female ancestors are very important to our genealogy research and should be researched with as much gusto as our male ancestors. You might think that researching your female ancestors is not productive to your genealogy research because they didn’t leave much in the way of records. I would say that they are just as important and in some cases can be more important than our male ancestors.

Lou Tennessee (Burnaine) Sanders and Lucy (Burnaine) Sanders, undated

My genealogy friend Gena Philibert-Ortega is well known for her women's genealogy research and starting March 1st she is going to be blogging for the whole month of March about the women in our genealogy research and how to research them. She does this in honor of Women's History Month and this year is her 11th year of blog posts. Her theme this year is Women's History Month Revisited. You can check out Gena's posts at her blog at this link: https://philibertfamily.blogspot.com/


We all research the male ancestors in our family to find the next generation and to see just how far back we can get. Researching your female ancestors can give you the same satisfaction. Remember, you are directly related to her parents, her grandparents, her great-grandparents, etc. Her ancestry could hold as much or more information than the males in your family. Try to research your female ancestors with the same goals in mind that you have with your male ancestors. You might be surprised at what you find. Female ancestors have a story to tell. Who’s going to tell it? Hopefully YOU!

REMEMBER: IT'S NOT ALL ONLINE, CONTACT OR VISIT AND ARCHIVES TODAY!



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Book Recommendation!

From the Family Kitchen: Discover Your Food Heritage and Preserve Favorite Recipes 
by Gena Philibert-Ortega


Thursday, March 7, 2024

Preserving Your Ancestor's War Letters and V-Mail

Many genealogists have letters from their ancestor's during their time in the military and especially letters that were sent to family members during wartime. These letters can include handwritten letters, postcards and V-Mail. Also, among genealogical family papers could be Western Union Messages that was sent by the soldier or by the U.S. Government to advise the family of the death of their family member or other information.


WWII V-Mail Correspondence, Houston County, TN. Archives


So, how do we preserve this correspondence? Whether these letters date back to the Revolutionary War or as recent as last week, the process is the same and very easy for the genealogist to accomplish.

The archival materials you will need purchase:

-Archival document sleeves to put the letters and documents in, these come in all shapes and sizes to accommodate the various sizes of stationary. 
You can purchase these on Amazon at this link: https://amzn.to/3Trnosj

-Archival file folders, to put the documents that are in archival sleeves
You can purchase these on Amazon at this link: https://amzn.to/48E6YB6

-Archival boxes, to put the file folders full of correspondence
You can purchase these on Amazon at this link: https://amzn.to/3v24Jd6

I am asked all the time about whether or not the letters should be taken out of their envelopes and my answer is a resounding YES! Each and every letter should be removed from their envelope, unfolded and flattened. Place the letter AND the envelope in the same archival document sleeve. This keeps the envelope with the letter it belongs to and doesn't get mixed up with other letters. Be sure to fold down the flap on the envelope where the glue part is located. Even if there is no glue remaining, it doesn't need to touch the letter.

Correspondence in Vertical File, Houston County, TN. Archives


Take the letters, postcards and other correspondence that you have put in archival sleeves and place them in archival file folders. You can put more than one letter in a file folder but I wouldn't put more than ten letters in one file folder. It is up to you how your label your file folders, however, a suggestion could be to put the file folders in chronological order.

Once the correspondence has been put in archival sleeves and file folders, the folders then need to be stored in archival Hollinger boxes. Some like to store their file folders in filing cabinets and that is also acceptable. Be sure to label the Hollinger boxes so that it is known what is contained in them.

V-Mail Correspondence, Houston County, TN. Archives


An additional way to preserve military correspondence is to transcribe all the letters and save those transcriptions electronically. So, if you have letters, postcards and V-mail from your ancestors when they were in the military, be sure to properly preserve them.


REMEMBER: IT'S NOT ALL ONLINE, CONTACT OR VISIT AN ARCHIVE!



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Want to know more about preserving old family letters?

Get My Legacy Family Tree Webinar:

Preserving Old Family Letters: Tips from an Archivist

http://legacy.familytreewebinars.com/?aid=1168







Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Trains, Planes and Automobiles: Researching Our Ancestor's Transportation

As many of my genealogy friends and colleagues are traveling back home from RootsTech 2024, it got me to thinking about my own ancestors and how they traveled.

As genealogists, we should be documenting every aspect of our ancestor's lives. It's just not enough to only document their birth, marriage and death. Researching and documenting the events and aspects of our ancestors lives that come between those vital events is what tells our ancestor's life story.

Have you ever thought about documenting your ancestor's transportation? From the horse driven buckboard to the family station wagon, from the train to the airplane, our ancestors had many avenues of transportation and documenting this part of their lives can add to their life story.

Wilson Averitt and Pearl Adams, ca. 1900, Houston County, TN. Archives


My Grandfather, Cody Lee LeMaster (1909-1972) never learned to drive. He always made sure the family lived near a bus station, bus stop, near a street car or lived close enough to everything so he could just walk. His philosophy when it came to family members wanting him to visit was "If they want me to visit them, they can come get me and bring me back home". He worked each and every day to provide for his family. He walked to work at Hamlin Metal Products, Corp. in Akron, Ohio until his death on November 18, 1972. He was holding the door open for a female worker and died of a heart attack on the spot. Knowing my Grandfather's thoughts and actions when it came to transportation has helped me understand why they lived where they lived.

Cody Lee LeMaster and Agnes Marie (Curtis) LeMaster, My Grandparents


Researching all the different types of transportation for my ancestors has been fun. I am fortunate in that I have photographs dating back to the 1940's of my family members with their vehicles. Talking to family members about the different kinds and makes of those automobiles, especially those that belonged to the person I am talking to has been interesting.

L-R Lanny Barker, Ruth Athalene (Burcham) Barker, Unknown, ca. 1940's


If you are not already researching your ancestor's transportation, consider adding it to the genealogy research to-do list. You just might be surprised by what you find!


REMEMBER: IT'S NOT ALL ONLINE, CONTACT OR VISIT AN ARCHIVE TODAY!


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Watch My Legacy Family Tree Webinar:

Researching in Libraries and Archives: The Do's and Don'ts

http://legacy.familytreewebinars.com/?aid=1142


Tuesday, February 27, 2024

RootsTech 2024: Genealogy Education at It's Best!

RootsTech 2024 starts in 3 days! This is the largest genealogical conference in the United States and possibly the world. This conference is an in-person as well as a virtual genealogy educational experience. If you have not registered for the FREE virtual aspect of  RootsTech, you still can! Register at this link: https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/




RootsTech is one of the best opportunities for genealogists to educate themselves on a variety of genealogy subjects. When you visit the RootsTech website, you can follow the daily schedule of presentations at this link: https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/schedule?day=2024-02-29



I am giving two virtual presentations during RootsTech:


Digging Into Finding Aids: The Road Map to Any Manuscript Collection
Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. Mountain Time/2:30 p.m. Central Time




Church Records in Archives
Friday, March 1, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time/4:00 p.m. Central Time


Attending RootsTech, whether in-person or virtually, is one of the best genealogical educational gifts you can give yourself! Register for FREE to attend virtually today!


REMEMBER: IT'S NOT ALL ONLINE, CONTACT OR VISIT AN ARCHIVE TODAY!


Have Tennessee ancestors?

Check Out My Legacy Family Tree Webinar

The Tennessee State Library and Archives: A Mega Archives for Your Tennessee Ancestors






Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Archives Have Genealogy and Family History Books!

When you think of an archive, maybe you think of original documents, vertical files and manuscript collections. But do you think of genealogical, historical and family history books being in archives? You should!

Many of our wonderful archives have a section of historical and genealogical books. These books can be located in the research area where the researcher can access them easily and research in them. Yet some archives keep their books in back rooms on shelves and require the researcher make a request to see them.

Houston County, Tennessee Pictorial History Book, Located in Houston County, TN. Archives


These collection of books could include just about anything. They could include local histories of the area and all the different communities. They could include donated published family histories of various surnames. There could even be pictorial history books of the local area and the surrounding areas.

In order to access these books or an index of what is available, ask the archivist. Many records collections, books and other items are stored in back rooms or vaults and asking the archivist about what is available is a must for every genealogist. Archivists are there to help you!

Books on families are donated to archives all the time. Many genealogists have done the research, compiled the genealogies and then published a book. It is possible the local archive could have a copy of that family book.

The Adams Family Kith and Kin, Located in the Houston County, TN. Archives

Books about local communities is also a popular book found in an archive. These could be a published book on a small area of a county that was once a booming area but today is just a spot in the road. These types of books could have history about the families that lived in the area or founded the area.

Danville, Tennessee: Gone....But Not Forgotten, Located in Houston County, TN. Archives


Libraries are not the only place that could have published books for your family, the local community or the local area in general. Archives have these types of books too!

REMEMBER: IT'S NOT ALL ONLINE, CONTACT OR VISIT AN ARCHIVE TODAY!

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Are you intimidated about visiting archives? Maybe you get overwhelmed when you walk through the door?

Get my Legacy QuickGuide and Get Tips About Researching in Libraries and Archives!

Researching in Libraries and Archives


Tuesday, February 13, 2024

RootsTech 2024! Don't Miss It!

I am happy to announce that RootsTech 2024 is only 15 days away! The hybrid conference will take place February 29th to March 2nd and it's going to be a great event.





This annual genealogical conference is available to anyone who can attend in-person or to anyone who would like to attend virtually. 

To register for the in-person or virtual event, click this link: https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/




There is a cost for the in-person event but the virtual registration is 100% FREE!

You can even Create Your RootsTech 2024 Schedule. Check out the speakers for the 3-day event and craft your own schedule at this link: https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/



Every year at RootsTech there are Keynote Speakers and this year is no exception. This year the keynote speakers are Lynne M. Jackson, Henry Cho, Nancy Borowick, Katie James and Steve Rockwood.



RootsTech is all about connections. Discover your connections with relatives around the world through Relatives at RootsTech, check out this cool way to connect with cousins you didn't even know you had around the world: https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/


Lastly, I will be presenting two LIVE presentations at RootsTech! Sign up to attend my live virtual presentations and put them on your RootsTech Calendar:


Melissa Barker RootsTech Virtual Presentations

Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 2:30 p.m. Central, Digging Into Finding Aids: The Road Map to Any Manuscript Collection


Friday, March 1, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. Central, Church Records in Archives


Here is my speaker page where you can add my presentations to your calendar or watch them virtually and you can also watch for FREE my previous RootsTech presentations. https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/speakers/melissa-barker/en



So, get ready for RootsTech 2024! Register Today!


Remember: It's Not All Online, Contact or Visit and Archive Today!


It's Not All Online: Researching In Archives Webinar!
Researching in archives, libraries, historical societies, genealogical societies, courthouses and any other repository can be intimidating. This webinar will show you how to plan ahead for a successful research trip and also help you with your "To-Do List" once you get there. Contacting or visiting an archive will help the genealogist be more successful in their genealogy research.