As I watch the destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian, I’m worrying about the next disaster. My mind is thinking about When Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast of the United States in 2012. It was not the powerhouse storm that Dorian is, but the effects were felt all the way into New England. On the New…
The Photo Detective Podcast
Episode 55: Photos of Our Mill-Working Ancestors with Joe Manning
In the early twentieth century child laborers worked in mills across America. Perhaps your ancestors did too. It’s possible. In 1900 more than 1.75 million children aged 10 to 15 were employed. A photo of your ancestor might exist. I’m a big fan of this week’s guest, Joe Manning. He finds the photos and connects…
Episode 54: Family Reunion Photos – Sorting the Clues
In August, I dedicated all my podcast episodes to family reunion focused activities and guests. Since it’s Family Reunion season, that means we’re pretty likely to be posing for a group portrait. It’s part of most reunions…a visual gathering of everyone at the event. We have dozens of pictures of my husband’s family reunion attendees.…
Episode 53: Playing with a Full Deck of Ancestors with Tim Crowley of OurCards.com
No gathering of my mother’s relatives is complete without hours of card playing. My mother taught us to play card games from an early age. That’s why as soon as I saw Our Cards at a genealogy conference, I was intrigued. Forget Bicycle cards. They are lovely but nothing compares to seeing your ancestral photos…
Episode 52: Our Picture-Taking Ancestors with Peter Dumas
https://vimeo.com/348901294 Our past is for sale. Our parent’s stuff and previous generations as well. You can find the most amazing things at flea markets. That’s what New Englander’s call these outdoor sales. I regularly visit two of these. In the summer months, the Providence Flea occupies a small space on the waterfront. If it’s there.…
Episode 51: Family Reunion Planning with Edith Wagner of Reunions Magazine
Does your family get together for family reunions? My husband’s family does. Every other year the clan gathers and a key part of the planning revolves around activities. We usually have a set schedule of what happens when. It’s part tradition and part common sense planning. My guest today is one organized woman. She’s the…
Episode 50: Scan My Photos with Mitch Goldstone
Scanning photos can be tedious work especially when you’re digitizing slides. Imagine that there was a service that could do it for you. I’m not advocating sending out your original 19th century photos for scanning but there no reason why you couldn’t use a service for late 20th snapshots and for all those slides. That’s…
Episode 49: Women Patriots with Mary Tedesco
You probably know Mary Tedesco from The Genealogy Roadshow, a popular PBS genealogy based program that aired from 2013 to 2016. But did you know that Mary is also very involved with the Daughters of the American Revolution and is passionate to get more women patriots recognized by the organization. Women patriots? You’re probably wondering…
Episode 48: Finding Images of Your Ancestors
Just because many of your ancestors lived before the invention of photography doesn’t mean there are no pictures of them. Start your search for portraits and descriptions of pre-photography ancestors with these six sources. Finding a Home for the HollenbergsInternet ArchiveNational Union Catalog of Manuscript CollectionsCatalog of American PortraitsThe Art of Family Watch my YouTube…
Episode 47: Women of the Revolution
What were your revolutionary era female ancestors doing during the war? Our foremothers played crucial roles during the Revolutionary War. They followed their men folk caring for them daily. They kept businesses solvent and farms functioning while their men were away. Most of their contributions are unknown because so many women didn’t speak of their…