1910's photograph of 2 women and a man

pin for identifying old family photos

old photo of man and woman

old family photo of 3 women

old family photo of all ages

old photo of group of young adults 1920's

antique photo of 3 women

2 women shopping in early 1900's

antique photo of bride and groom

Identifying old family photographs does not have to be impossible! Tips to identify your ancestors and discover your family unit history in sometime family unit photos.

Genealogy research, old family photos and mystery individuals in those photos seem to go hand in mitt!

(But they don't take to!)

The sometime family photographs I share in this mail service arrived in a box originally marked "Richardson".   Unfortunately, none of the photographs are labeled. (I'g certain your ancestors labeled all of their photographs, right?!)

I do strongly doubtable the men are from my Richardson family unit of Pittsylvania County, VA.  There is a certain family unit "look" I take come up to recognize in known Richardson family photos.

All the same, in that location is the distinct possibility some of these men and women were just friends of the family or were some of my Elliott ancestors. Just considering the photos were in the Richardson box does non a guarantee all of these people were Richardsons. Don't trust y'all antecedent or relative's organizational skills! Afterward all, these photographs were stored in a torso for approximately 80 years – 50 of those years in a southern Virginia barn!

So, how about you?

Exercise you lot have unknown photographs in your closet?  Still wondering how to fifty-fifty start identifying the people in those family photographs?

These tips should become you started.

4 Tips for Identifying Old Family unit Photos

There are a number of ways to start identifying unidentified family photographs. While the procedure is not quick, it can exist very rewarding!

Initially, when starting out, I was a scrap overwhelmed with the procedure of identifying photographs.  My best tip for beginners is to start with just one photograph. Ofttimes we have several or even many photos to identify and the project just feels overwhelming. And then, start with just i photograph.

Tips to help you identify your ancestors and discover your family history in those old family photos.
Pin for Future Reference!

Tip #1 –  Ask your family members.

I realize this is an obvious tip, but you would be surprised by the number of people who accept non done this.

Practise non simply ask your close family unit members. Seek out more than distant relatives.

Seek out collateral relatives. Share your photograph(due south) with them and ask them to forrad the photograph(s) to other family members they know. At times y'all may notice yourself needing to do descendant inquiry to discover other living relatives to connect with. It is worth the fourth dimension and effort.

The more eyes you have on your unidentified family photographs the better!

The photograph below is a good example of this concept.  This couple's photograph sabbatum for years in my unknown collection. I was consulting a Richardson researcher most a unlike photo when my break came. He  glimpsed this photograph and identified the couple every bit his grandparents Matthew and Edna (Richardson) Yeaman.  This Richardson researcher was from Alaska and is my third cousin twice removed.

Retrieve: No relative is likewise far in distance or location on the family unit tree not to potentially have information on your photographs.

Tips to help you identify your ancestors and discover your family history in those old family photos.
Matthew and Edna (Richardson) Yeaman

The photograph below was emailed to multiple family unit members.  Many were afar cousins only known to me through collateral genealogy research and my hope is ane of them will exist able to identify this gentleman or lead me to someone else who might.Only as you would network in the business world, network in the genealogy world.

Tip #2 –  Share Your Unidentified Photographs on Social Media

Facebook

Share your unidentified photographs in pertinent Facebook groups such every bit genealogical societies, or Facebook pages defended to specific county genealogy and/or history groups. Does your extended family have their own Facebook group? (You can start one!)  Share your photographs there.

Examples of Facebook  groups for my Richardson photographs include Pittsylvania County Genealogy, Virginia Genealogy, North Carolina Genealogy, U.Southward S Genealogy Enquiry Customs, and Halifax Canton, VA Genealogy and History.

If you have a number of photographs y'all want to share, prepare an album in Google Photos or on Flickr.  You tin can share a link to the photo album in online groups without having to individually upload each photo. See an example of this in Using Flickr to Identify Your Ancestors.

Genealogy and unidentified photographs seem to go hand and hand. Try these four tips to help you identify the individuals in your old family photos!
Unknown Photo – Possibly a Richardson of Pittsylvania Co., VA

Tip #3 – Websites Defended to Unidentified Photographs

DeadFred.com and Ancestors Lost and Found  are popular sites to share and search for ancestors' photographs. Bonus: Both are free to use.   Upload your own unidentified photographs for aid in identifying or you can search what others accept posted.

screenshot of deadfred.com

Search by surname, location or by the photographer'southward proper name. Y'all just might find ancestors' photographs you recognize.

Exist sure and bank check dorsum on orphan photograph sites periodically for updates.

>>>Wondering if old family photos exist for your family? Find 10 places to search for old family unit photographs in this Gratuitous E-book. <<<

Tip #4 –  Perform a Google Image Search.

Google Image Search

Upload your unidentified photo into Google's Prototype search and see if the photograph appears anywhere else on the web.

Genealogy and unidentified photographs seem to go hand and hand. Try these four tips to help you identify the individuals in your old family photos!
Unknown Men of Pittsylvania County, VA

Perhaps the photograph is identified on someone else'due south genealogy website/weblog.  Someone else could exist searching as well!

Identifying old unknown family photographs takes time. With a scrap of try and admittedly a flake of luck sometimes, too, you can put a name to an ancestor's confront.

Do you have an unknown photograph y'all are struggling to identify?

Work through these 4 tips in a higher place.  Share your findings in the comments below!

You might be also exist interested in:

  • Top x Resource for Dating Old Photographs
  • Case Report: 5 Tips to Identify A Family unit Photograph
  • Tuesday'due south Tip – How to Characterization a Photo

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