Family photos are one of the most important components of your research.  They contain so much more information than just the record of what your ancestors looked like.

I have been collecting family photos for about 30 years.  Back then it was very expensive to have them copied and restored.  Fortunately in this era of digital technology that has all changed.  Now it is very easy and inexpensive to scan and repair old photographs.

I find family photos fascinating in what they tell you and the questions they raise.  Who is in the photo, how are they dressed, who is missing from the photo, where was it taken, who else is in the photo besides family members and many other similar questions. 

When you are starting your family photo collection there are a few important things to know about.  I received a lot of photos in my early research from my relations and some common issues arose.  Firstly it was often the case that the people in the photo were not identified.  Usually I was able to clear this up with another photo for confirmation but I still have photos where I am unsure who some people are.  Secondly the information that is written on the back of photos may be wrong or misleading.  This takes a bit of detective work but it is something else to be wary about in your research.  If the photo is unidentified, ask your relative to write down who they think is in the photo.

As you visit your relatives, borrow their photos and build up your collection you will probably notice some gaps.  To fill these it is often useful to consider who the photos may have gone to – perhaps the favourite daughter, or alternatively the oldest son.  I was missing a photo of my great, great grandmother and one of her daughters.  Sure enough both photos turned up with a third cousin who was the granddaughter of the oldest granddaughter (and a favourite).  Initially my cousin did not realise what she had.

Often portrait photos or family groups were taken to send to family members who did not see each other very often.  These photos would have had pride of place in the recipient’s home in very grand frames.  In my research I have found never before seen photos that had been forgotten.  When I go to visit a remote relative I am full of anticipation for what I might find.

Family photos can be a wonderful source of information about the family both from what is present and what is absent.  For example – who is in the photo, are there people missing from the photo – why are they missing, where was it taken – what is the context of the photo.  I have a series of photos taken at regular family gatherings.  None of them are dated but I have worked out the sequence based on the following – age of children, clothes people are wearing, presence or absence of wedding rings etc.  Dating of family photos can use all of this and more.  There are some very good books on this subject which I will share with you in a separate section on resources.

If you are borrowing photos from relatives make sure that you look after them.  A few years ago I purchased a lap top and portable scanner.  Now I do not have to take photos away with me. 

If you are scanning photos – and I absolutely recommend this as it is the best way to store them, use as high a resolution as possible.  If you want to display old photos then it is best to print a copy of the scanned image.  It is best to store the original away from the light in acid free tissue paper and protected from damage by insect pests.  Also do not write on the back of photos, this can also damage then.  I prefer to give them a code and then keep a separate record of the details of the photo.  (More on this subject under record keeping.)

Photos can be restored digitally – this is relatively easy if the damage is not on faces.  Where faces are involved you have to be very careful.  There are several very good programs around to help you restore photos.  I use Photo Studio, I find it does all I want but I have not tried any others.  I am completely self taught and I have had some very good results.  However I have learnt a few tricks which I will share with you in a separate section.

OK so you have talked to your parents, grandparents and any other elderly relatives that you can find and they have given you what they know.  You will probably find that for the next few months you will get more information coming through.  Your initial discussion will get the memories turning over and your relations will keep finding things and remembering stuff and sending it through to you.

As I mentioned in a previous chapter you are ready to start getting some certificates.  Certificates will help you fill in any gaps in people’s memories, confirm maiden names of spouses, confirm places of birth, list names and occupations of parents and much, much more.  You can also use a set of children’s birth certificates to track the movements of the family.  Just a cautionary word with information on certificates, you can find inaccuracies on some certificates.  This is particularly true with death certificates where the information listed depends on the knowledge of the informant.  If the informant was unsure of some details such as the maiden name of the deceased’s mother or the actual birthplace then these may be listed as unknown or worse guessed at.  I have found both examples in my research.  Don’t be concerned as this is all part of assembling the jigsaw puzzle of your family history.  A slightly damaged piece is better than no piece at all.

Below is a summary of the different types of Australian certificates and the information they contain.  Certificates from overseas will have slightly different information.  Australian certificates are amongst the best in the world in terms of the amount of information they contain.  However early Australian certificates are a bit limited.  In most cases certificates before about 1850 will contain less information than shown below.  There are some limitations on access to certificates and this varies slightly between the states.  I have shown these limitations below as well as some useful links to each states web site.

Now that you have started to collect some information you will want to start to prepare your family tree.  Using the information collected in the fictional example shown in a separate section we can construct the tree. 

This tree was prepared using Family Tree Maker.  This program which is produced and marketed by Ancestry.com claims to be the #1 best seller of its type.  I find it very good but I have not used any other.  It has lots of features including publishing and various tree formats that you can choose once you have entered your data.  It can be purchased on line from the link below for a cost of $AU99.95.  Alternatively buy through the US link for $US39.95.

There are also several free software options for example Family Search has a free download via the link below.  This is a very simple program and good for the beginner.

There are also several templates available for free that you can download.  Some of these can be used on your computer or simply printed and filled in by hand.  Any of these are a good place to start and I have included several links to a few sites below.

Family Search - http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp

Personal Ancestral File (PAF) is a free genealogy and family history program. PAF allows you to quickly and easily collect, organize and share your family history and genealogy information.

Free Templates

http://www.uftree.com/family_tree_template.asp

This site offers free templates to download to help you organise your information.  Some of these are for more advanced research.

http://misbach.org/pdfcharts/

More templates – essentially free but do ask for a small donation

http://www.familytreetemplates.net/

More templates

http://www.myheritage.com/

on-line database

Family Tree Maker - http://www.familytreemaker.com/

http://www.gould.com.au/Family-Tree-Maker-s/1286.htm

Below is an example of the information collection process. Say you know the names of your maternal and paternal grandparents. Mary and John Cheese were your mother’s parents and Elizabeth and Charles Albert Crackers were your father’s parents. Your mother has told you that her mother’s maiden name was Mary Leicester and Mary’s parent’s names were Susan and Edward. Your father can’t remember anything about his family but you go to see his sister Anne who gives you some very useful information. I have put this into a checklist style so you can see it as it would have been collected. This checklist and others will be available in a further section.

With just one visit to one relative, a few certificates and with the information you had already you have been able to go back 5 generations to your great, great, great grandparents. There are also lots of leads to follow up and investigate. I will use this example and others to show you how this is done in further sections. Now what to do with this information? The next step is drawing your first family tree.

Have you ever wondered who your ancestors were? If you have ever watched the SBS program “Who do you think you are?” and thought I would like to do that I have no idea where to start, then I can help you.

There is lots of information available on the Internet. You can do a lot of research from the comfort of your own home. Much of this information is free; other information requires you to pay a joining fee. This is often worthwhile but be prepared so you can get the best value for your money.

When you are talking to your relatives, particularly the elderly remember to be sensitive about their feelings. Talking about family tragedies may invoke tears. They may be embarrassed about incidents that caused shame in the 1930’s but are common place in today’s society. If a relative tells you a family secret and asks you not to repeat it then you must respect that trust. However you can use this information to shed light on your own research.

Be prepared to uncover skeletons in the family closet as you progress through your research. I have discovered many delicate issues through my research. I have found everything from illegitimate children, suicides, deaths under embarrassing circumstances and convicts. Most of this I have shared with my family. Some of it I have shared selectively. You need to use your best judgement.

If you discover illegitimate or adopted children you will need to decide how you will record these. Firstly do the children know they are adopted? If so then you don’t have to be concerned about keeping a secret. However you will need to consider if they are to be recorded in the same way as natural children.

Once you have collected as much information as your relatives can tell you another easy to obtain and reliable source of information are birth, death and marriage certificates. If you are lucky you may find that one of your relatives will have copies of certificates they can lend you. Always ask if they have any certificates available.

Certificates will help you fill in any gaps in people’s memories, confirm maiden names of spouses, confirm places of birth, list names and occupations of parents and much, much more. You can also use a set of children’s birth certificates to track the movements of the family. Just a cautionary word with information on certificates, you can find inaccuracies on some certificates. This is particularly true with death certificates where the information listed depends on the knowledge of the informant. If the informant was unsure of some details such as the maiden name of the deceased’s mother or the actual birthplace then these may be listed as unknown or worse guessed at. I have found both examples in my research. Don’t be concerned as this is all part of assembling the jigsaw puzzle of your family history. A slightly damaged piece is better than no piece at all.

More in the section on Certificates