Blog

04
Dec

How Ancestry.com Helped Solve a Mystery with an Old Photograph

Posted by | · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on How Ancestry.com Helped Solve a Mystery with an Old Photograph

Some stories seem lost forever, until a kind stranger fills in the missing pieces. This is my great-great-great grandmother on my mom’s side. This photograph was sent to me by a thoughtful internet stranger who purchased a stack of old photos and a family tree at an estate sale and used @ancestry to track me […]

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03
Dec

Three Instagram Feeds to Follow if You Love Vintage Photographs

Posted by | · · · · · · · | Family Photo Resources | 5 Comments on Three Instagram Feeds to Follow if You Love Vintage Photographs

Vintage vibes aren’t limited to Throwback Thursdays. Since nostalgia never goes out of style, everyone enjoys a daily dose of vintage photography! From abandoned Polaroids found in thrift stores to old family pictures unearthed during holiday gatherings, there’s a bevy of vintage photographs just waiting to be discovered. Here are three instagram feeds to follow […]

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03
Dec

Teaching My Grandparents How to Scan Their Vintage Wedding Photos

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My grandparents, Jean and Tim, on their wedding day in 1957. I recently spent an afternoon teaching my grandparents how to scan their wedding pictures. My grandfather’s brother took all the photos and my grandparents printed the pictures themselves in his darkroom. ~shared by @coreytorpie View on Instagram →

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02
Dec

How A Great Snapshot Keeps a Moment From Running Away

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“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.” -Eudora Welty My father recently shared with me a photo that he’s saved for many years. It’s of the two of us, probably around 1964 or 1965. My father is in the boat, ready to take me for a spin in the water behind our house […]

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01
Dec

An Adventure from the Wild West Discovered in our Family Archives

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When I was home for the holidays in Indiana, my mother and I uncovered this gem. Meet my father’s grandparents – my great grandparents – Mae Ruth (far left) and George Van Arsdale (middle). This photograph was taken on their awesome-looking honeymoon out west around 1903. My mom has been sorting family photos and this […]

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30
Nov

A Vintage Photograph from my family’s food market

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My Grandfather, Grandmother and Uncle in their Brooklyn grocery store “Model Food Market,” circa 1950. It was on 3rd Avenue, between 44th and 45th. When I was a child, my father would tell me that my grandfather would meticulously hand paint the signs in the store. He showed me the style, and I became obsessed […]

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28
Nov

Old Photos Remind Us That The Simplest Memories are the Most Priceless

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Pause. Reflect. Be filled with gratitude. The simplest memories are the most priceless. My granddad with my mom and my uncles on vacation in 1952, probably in Yellowstone National Park. I’m so grateful that he was able to meet his great grandchildren before he died ten years ago. He was a strict but loving man. […]

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27
Nov

Why We Are Giving Thanks for Family Stories

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Today’s a day to gather and give thanks. In honor of holiday traditions, here’s a special, vintage Thanksgiving from @lizajp11. Look at those happy, eager faces gathered around the dinner table! Today really reminds us that old family photos tell stories…ones worth saving. Take some time today to gather your loved ones and celebrate your […]

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26
Nov

A Missouri Marriage and An Adventure on the River

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Our old family photos are full of stories. We just have to look and ask. My Nana (Irene Nora Everett Johnson) was born to a well-off family in Springfield, Missouri. Her mother died when she was 12. So she was sent off to St. Louis and later Kansas City to finish her education. Clearly, she […]

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25
Nov

One Old Photograph Tells a Tale of Courage, Strength and Hope

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These are my paternal great grandparents holding my grandmother in front of their log cabin home. They lived somewhere in the Great Lakes Region near the Canadian border. My great grandmother’s heritage was Native American, specifically Northern Algonquin. My great grandfather’s heritage was European, Dutch German. Their story is tumultuous one, but one that turned […]

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