Creating A Photographic Timeline For Your Ancestors

 The old saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words," is quite true. And I am so lucky to own many family photographs. I have carefully preserved them in archival-safe clear sleeves and put them in albums. And I scanned all of them into online resources. But an exciting way to use your pictures is to compile a timeline to illustrate people's life stories.

It's part detective work and pure enlightening! Here is how to do it:

Gather all your photos of one family member and spread them out on a large table or workspace. NOTE: remember to protect the pictures from spills, fingerprints, and anything else that might ruin them. (My cats like to be close to me wherever I am, so I don't want them walking on the pictures!) Make a biographical timeline on a sheet of paper by listing the person's name and birthdate. With each image, write down the details you see.   Try to identify that person at various ages (if you can) and put them in chronological sequence. Do all of the photos the same way until you are finished.

When describing details from the photos, write down what is evident in the pictures and include what is subtle. What is happening in the images? What is the immediate impression you get from looking at the picture?

Look at the backgrounds in the photos. Are the backgrounds real or symbolic? Are the pictures taken at home or in a studio? Many real photo postcards were taken at photographer's studios. Look for the imprint on the card mount. Another way to tell if they were taken in a studio is that the backdrop resembles a curtain or "fake" background. Be sure to include that information on your timeline.

Can you identify the social and economic class of people in the photos? Many of the images I have include family members with groups of people. At times, they are working, and at other times, they are playing and enjoying life.

What can you write about the body language of the person or people in the photos? Carefully examine each photo to catch tiny details. What can you say about the emotional state of each person? Are they attractive? Do they portray shyness, depression, fear, or happiness? Do they look proud, strong, curious, arrogant, friendly, or rigid?

Remember to describe the clothing the person or people are wearing. Do a little research about clothing that is not familiar to you. Clothing descriptions add depth to your writing and help you identify a specific period. Also include hairstyles.

When you finish with the photographs of the particular family member, you will find that you have written a fabulous sketch or minibiography of that person that includes photos!

If most of your photos need to be identified with name, age, place, etc., that is where a little detective work comes in. Review the photos you have identified and use family resemblance to help you group people together. Go through your genealogy forms, searching for births, marriages, and death dates, giving you an approximate date for the photos.

You can incorporate more facts using records and certificates when your photographic timeline is finished. For instance, use a marriage certificate to integrate details into wedding pictures. Use census records to continue the story by describing where the person lived and the value of their property, occupation, and neighbors. If you have funeral cards, obituaries, and death records, you can use that information to describe the funeral and the cemetery where they are buried.

I've seen these timelines finished, and it is a beautiful visual of your family history. Also, note it can be a lot to work on. It might be a great family project; get the kids involved in helping you sort out the photos. You might want to buy a few white cotton gloves to protect the pictures. After you finish, you will have a timeline to help you write family biographies. A picture truly is worth a thousand words.

Here are a few photographs from my collection that tell a story: 

My great-grandmother is holding her young son in this picture postcard. On the back, she writes to her sister, telling her she will be home soon. She will be returning to her parents' home after a trip. From the postcard, I find the date and how much a stamp costs, and I see a sample of her handwriting. Her son was born on November 25, 1910, so I know how old they were in this beautiful heirloom. 

In this photo, Rose is the lady in the middle of the picture with family members (I have pictures of some of her family) around her. They appear happy (most of them), and we see their clothing and hats. In the background, we see the town's name, Liberal (Kansas), on the Train Depot arch, electric poles, and a bit of a car. This photograph was taken in the late 1930s or 1940s. 

  

I adore this photograph of Hazel Belle (Farnan) Howell, a friend of one of my family members. I filled out a family tree and gathered information about her and her family, who were neighbors of my family member. In this photo, Hazel promotes votes when women aren't allowed to vote. From the information I found, this photo must have been taken in 1920 in Springfield, Missouri. She wore her hair short, she was married in 1919, and she and her husband moved to Springfield. This photo and many others were given to me by a family member. I am thankful for the good gift!    

March is Women's History Month ~

 I love genealogy. When the genealogy bug bit me in 2007, I fell in love with it and haven't recovered yet! I am fortunate to uncover tons of genealogical treasures. When I wasn't working, I scoured area courthouses, museums, historical societies, libraries, and cemeteries, met with people, and gathered photographs and documentation. I filled almost 20 three-ring binders full of family history research! Online sources such as Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com were a wealth of information. I used my paid membership to add necessary documentation to my work. I continue to use their services today.

In a "Man's World," my female family ancestors led interesting, unique, heartbreaking, funny, sad, historically-sound ways of living. My heart soared when I found the information I needed to fill in the gaps of my beloved paternal great-grandmother's life with the records I discovered. She helped raise my brothers and me; I knew a lot about her from living with her and the stories she told as we all went "walking around the block." Then, I devoted my writing time to uncovering more about all the women in my family lines. 

Each nugget of treasured facts is cherished as I build their life timelines and map their stories. I come from a line of strong, determined, Christian, and sometimes crazy women who lived life to the fullest. In the graphic below, my great-grandmother, Ollie Johnson Utter Martin Brier, stands in Kansas all gussied-up in her finest attire. She looks like she "had the world by the tail," as she would say. She was classy, from her bobbed hair and fur to her tiny waist and stocking feet. I hear the echo of her voice in my ear as I write her stories now for those who wish to read them.

In March, I'll post stories about influential women in my life. I've written about many of my ancestors, but there are many more who came before me of whom I must write about. I celebrate March as Women's History Month kicks off!