3,412
edits
Gathering Visual Information and Artefacts - International Institute: Difference between revisions
Gathering Visual Information and Artefacts - International Institute (view source)
Revision as of 15:27, 4 June 2014
, 4 June 2014no edit summary
mNo edit summary |
mNo edit summary |
||
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
It is a good idea to accumulate a collection of copy photos of each ancestor, even if your primary goal is not to research every line at present. Family photos tend to disappear if no-one is known to be interested in preserving them! Too often have I heard the lament from someone just returned from a funeral that, “They threw out Auntie’s box of photos because they didn’t know who they were/ they were only dead people/they thought no-one was interested.” Such tragedies can be averted by letting everyone know now that you are the ‘nut’ in the family who cares about all those dead people. | It is a good idea to accumulate a collection of copy photos of each ancestor, even if your primary goal is not to research every line at present. Family photos tend to disappear if no-one is known to be interested in preserving them! Too often have I heard the lament from someone just returned from a funeral that, “They threw out Auntie’s box of photos because they didn’t know who they were/ they were only dead people/they thought no-one was interested.” Such tragedies can be averted by letting everyone know now that you are the ‘nut’ in the family who cares about all those dead people. | ||
Do you have a good black-and-white picture of yourself and each member of your present family? Many people only have colour photos, and if you’ve taken a look at some of the early ones from the 1950s you will see that they have faded considerably. We know that B & W photos last at least 150 years. | Do you have a good black-and-white picture of yourself and each member of your present family? Many people only have colour photos, and if you’ve taken a look at some of the early ones from the 1950s you will see that they have faded considerably. We know that B & W photos last at least 150 years. | ||
==== Postcards ==== | ==== Postcards ==== | ||
| Line 35: | Line 35: | ||
*Give-aways (and worse) from well-known companies or hotels, such as monogrammed towels or china. Hawkins mentions a spoon with the engraved letters GWR—was it given to a faithful Great Western Railway employee, or perhaps more likely ‘acquired’ during a trip to the dining car? <br> | *Give-aways (and worse) from well-known companies or hotels, such as monogrammed towels or china. Hawkins mentions a spoon with the engraved letters GWR—was it given to a faithful Great Western Railway employee, or perhaps more likely ‘acquired’ during a trip to the dining car? <br> | ||
*Giftware or bookplates bearing coats-of-arms totally unrelated to the family may have been purchased at flea markets and antique stores. A well-meaning relative once sent me a fancy wooden plaque painted with the ''Gardner coat-of-arms''—which belongs to someone else, not me. | *Giftware or bookplates bearing coats-of-arms totally unrelated to the family may have been purchased at flea markets and antique stores. A well-meaning relative once sent me a fancy wooden plaque painted with the ''Gardner coat-of-arms''—which belongs to someone else, not me.<br> | ||
It is wise to discuss such items with the owner and other relatives to ascertain their provenance before jumping to hasty conclusions. And, also record information about the artefact or memento on the Special Family Memento form. | It is wise to discuss such items with the owner and other relatives to ascertain their provenance before jumping to hasty conclusions. And, also record information about the artefact or memento on the Special Family Memento form. | ||