Blog

25
Jan

A Vintage Portrait of my Mother and Father as Newlyweds

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My mother has been downsizing for years. The family photographs made the trip from Pennsylvania to Florida in the early 1990s. Then they moved from the big condo to a smaller Independent living apartment. Every time I visited, Mom would say there were lots of photographs I needed to look at and start taking back […]

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25
Jan

RootsTech Profile Series: Family Photos and Records Come Together Beautifully at Legacy Books

Posted by | · · · · | Family Photo Resources | No Comments on RootsTech Profile Series: Family Photos and Records Come Together Beautifully at Legacy Books

How many memories deserve to be saved and shared? Thousands of priceless family artifacts are hidden in attics and basements. From family snapshots to rare documents like birth certificates and marriage records, these artifacts are waiting to be discovered. As part of our RootsTech Profile Series, we’re sharing stories of families who collaborated with innovative […]

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22
Jan

A French Family Story about an Honorary Grandmother

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Villa Ernest, circa 1968. Here I am with the lady from upstairs, Mamie, who introduced me to football, ancient French Francs, grand maternal love and a sense of generations and responsibilities in life. Mamie was born at the end of the XIXth century, had lost her beloved brother during WWI, her beloved husband and first […]

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21
Jan

An Early Selfie taken by my Dad

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This is my Dad Sgt. Spencer Barringer, USAAC 1942-1946. He was stationed at Bruning AAF in Nebraska. This was a training center for pilots and aircrews. He didn’t speak much of those years except he said he took pictures of wrecked planes. I wish I knew more. Through some of his photography, I am learning […]

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20
Jan

My Favorite Wedding Photo is a Vintage Family Portrait from 1925

Posted by | · · · · | Featured Family Stories | 2 Comments on My Favorite Wedding Photo is a Vintage Family Portrait from 1925

Although I’m biased, this is still my favorite wedding photo of all time, taken July 14, 1925. Ruby Viola Treutel and Carl Henry Frank Hanneman joined in marriage at St. James Catholic Church in Vesper, Wisconsin. They were my grandparents. At front left is flower girl Nina Treutel, 11, sister of the bride. At front […]

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19
Jan

Why Every Family’s Photo Album Could be in Danger (and what artists are creating from orphaned photos)

Posted by | · · · · · · · | Family Photo Resources | 2 Comments on Why Every Family’s Photo Album Could be in Danger (and what artists are creating from orphaned photos)

Family photo albums are in danger. In fact, curators and collectors like Erik Kessels have dedicated years of their lives to studying and saving family photo albums – before it’s too late. Many curators and collectors believe analog family photo albums are on the verge of extinction. The fact that every family’s photo album could be in danger has piqued the […]

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18
Jan

We are all connected, and nothing drives that home like old photographs

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This is a detail of my great grandmother Sophronia’s class picture, c. 1888. It is a huge class, too big to see in its entirety here. Though she’s not in this part of the picture, she doesn’t have to be for me to feel its profundity. Her classmates and teacher say so much about her life – way […]

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16
Jan

The Classic Magic of Farm Life and Family Photos

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My great-grandmother and my grandmother in Davenport, WA, circa 1924. My great grandparents were wheat farmers. By the time I was born, they were done with farming, but still had their house and barn, both of which I adored as a child. That old dusty barn, complete with a rope swing, and filled with old […]

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14
Jan

Do you know the stories of your ancestors? Do you know what they loved most?

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My grandmother told me that he looked at her like this every day. This expression is true to my grandmother, while my grandfather watches her and absorbs every ounce of her beauty and smiles from ear to ear. Do you know the stories of your ancestors? Do you know their favorite dessert was chocolate-covered cherries […]

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13
Jan

Memories are Sacred Reminders of Family History and Shared Stories

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“We are links between the ages, containing past and present expectations, sacred memories and future promise.” ~Edward Sellner I’ve always loved this photograph hanging on my grandma’s wall. The cute couple (very front, right) is my great grandma Mabel and my great grandfather Randolph right after they got engaged. Saltair, SLC, Utah, circa 1918. ~shared […]

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