Years ago, I sat with my mother-in-law and together, we worked our way through her big collection of old family photos. I wanted to capture the information we all seek – who are the people in this photo? How photos do you have that have no information at all on the back? In most cases, when the owner passes on, these precious photos will be tossed in the trash and the people in those images will be lost forever.
For Marilyn, it was easy. She readily mused about each photo, the people, the date (approximately), the event and the location. Occasionally, she would add in a short story. I loved these sessions, and I learned so much about my wife’s family, their personalities, the lives they lived, and what they enjoyed.
I recorded our sessions on a small cassette recorder for later transcription. Today, I would use my iPhone. For each photo, I wrote a sequential number on the back in pencil. These numbers served as an index number, unique for each photo.
Now, years later, Marilyn has passed, and the photos have been handed down to family members. I digitized the audio recording and shared it. Now, if anyone picks up one of these old photos, they can look on the back for a number and look up the details for that photo, the people, the date, the event, etc.
Try it! Be sure to try it before your loved one passes on.
Join your local genealogical society to learn more.
Ron Gilmore
Email: rvg3@me.com
Website: https://www.rgenealogy.ca