Welcome to another captivating episode of our podcast! In today’s show, we’re joined by the remarkable Howlin Davis, a genealogy enthusiast with an extraordinary story to share. After tuning into one of our newsletters, Howlin revealed his unique tale of rediscovery. His journey began with an unexpected phone call that led him to a treasure trove of lost family memories captured in old film reels.

Approximately 11 months ago, Howlin received a mysterious call asking if he was related to someone involved with the New York Stock Exchange. This call was the key to unlocking a series of family films dating back to the 1940s. These films, mistakenly believed to be related to the Stock Exchange, were actually personal family movies, showcasing scenes of New York City, Boston, and upstate New York.

In this episode, Howlin takes us through the emotional journey of discovering these films. He explains his meticulous process of documenting each frame, revealing not just images but stories of his ancestors – his young parents, grandparents, and even family friends. This collection offers a rare glimpse into their lives, capturing their personalities and their era.

Related Episodes:

Bonus Episode: Lost History Discovered (in the Recycling) 

Episode 65: Lost Films Need Your Help!  With Elil Savada

Links:

• Sign up for my newsletter.
• Watch my YouTube Channel.
• Like the Photo Detective Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos.
• Need help organizing your photos? Check out the Essential Photo Organizing Video Course.
• Need help identifying family photos? Check out the Identifying Family Photographs Online Course.
• Have a photo you need help identifying? Sign up for photo consultation.

About My Guest:

In 1973, Howland’s mother-in-law wanted to update her father’s descendency information (Neher/Near) which she published by hand (printing press & type).  He had the book scanned so that they could work on it together. The updated book was republished in 1997. His mother then asked him to update her father’s family history (Fabyan), which was dated 1925 and was on a sheet of paper 40 inches wide by 30 inches high. He used that to make a book with that information in October 2002.  He is now working on the fifth edition. 

About Maureen Taylor:

Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective^Òhelps clients with photo-related genealogical problems. Her pioneering work in historic photo research has earned her the title “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective” by The Wall Street Journal and appearances on The View, The Today Show, Pawn Stars, and others.   Learn more at Maureentaylor.com

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

The post Episode 227:Rediscovered Memories: The Unexpected Return of Family Movies appeared first on Maureen Taylor.

Northeast Historic Film is a nonprofit organization founded in 1986 to preserve and share historic films from Maine and the broader New England region. Based in Bucksport, Maine, their extensive collection includes home movies, local TV news, documentary films, and more. In this episode of the Photo Detective podcast, co-founders David Weiss and Jane Donnell discuss their mission to save endangered films and make them accessible through digitization and online platforms.

• Northeast Historic Film started in 1986 to preserve and share historic films from Maine and the broader New England region. Their collection includes home movies, local TV news, documentary films, and more.
• They provide film preservation services like digitization for individuals and institutions. They have climate-controlled vaults for long-term storage of film.
• Home movies are a core part of their collection. These give insights into everyday life, local history, family dynamics, fashion, and architecture.
• Their theater shows archival clips before contemporary films. They also share films on their website, YouTube, etc.
• Filmmakers and documentarians contact them looking for footage to license. The pandemic increased demand as people created more archival-based projects.
• They constantly get new donations as historic films surface from basements, attics, etc. Digitization is a key focus to make the films more accessible.
• Watching the films, especially with original audiences, shows their power for storytelling, nostalgia, and passing on local history.

Related Episodes:

Episode 172: Vintage Film Finds with B. Wells Douglas  

Episode 65: Lost Films Needs Your Help with Eli Savada

Links:

• Northeast Historic Film 
• Sign up for my newsletter.
• Watch my YouTube Channel.
• Like the Photo Detective Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos.
• Need help organizing your photos? Check out the Essential Photo Organizing Video Course.
• Need help identifying family photos? Check out the Identifying Family Photographs Online Course.
• Have a photo you need help identifying? Sign up for photo consultation.

About My Guests:

David S. Weiss is the co-founder and executive director of Northeast Historic Film, a non-profit moving image archive located in Bucksport, Maine.  Jane Donnell is the Marketing, Membership & Theatre Manager. Since its founding in 1986, NHF has built collections including more than 12 million feet of film and 10,000 hours of videotape.  The facility includes a 3-story climate-controlled moving image vault building, technical services section, study center and the Alamo Theater.  

About Maureen Taylor:

Maureen Taylor, The Photo DetectiveTM helps clients with photo related genealogical problems. Her pioneering work in historic photo research has earned her the title “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective” by The Wall Street Journal and appearances on The View, The Today Show, Pawn Stars, and others.   Learn more at Maureentaylor.com

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

The post Episode 219: Preserving Local History Through Film: A Conversation with Northeast Historic Film appeared first on Maureen Taylor.

This week, Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Becca Bender, the Curator, and Archivist of Moving Image and Audio Collections at the Rhode Island Historical Society. The two discuss the necessity of preserving home movies for genealogists, and how movie preservation gives insight into the lives of individuals in the past. 

Related Episodes:

Episode 75: One Man’s World War I Journey

Episode 65: Lost Films Needs Your Help! with Eli Savada

Links:

• Sign up for my newsletter.
• Watch my YouTube Channel.
• Like the Photo Detective Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos.
• Need help organizing your photos? Check out the Essential Photo Organizing Video Course.
• Need help identifying family photos? Check out the Identifying Family Photographs Online Course.
• Have a photo you need help identifying? Sign up for photo consultation.

About My Guest:

Becca Bender is the Curator and Archivist of Moving Image and Audio Collections at the Rhode Island Historical Society. She’s a deep believer that archives should engage collaboratively with the communities they represent, and that through partnerships we can all work toward creating a more equitable and inclusive historical record. She holds a master’s degree from NYU’s Moving Image Archiving and Preservation Program and studied Film Production and Africana Studies as an undergraduate at Vassar College. She’s an active member of the International Association of Moving Image Archivists and part of a core group of professionals working to improve the preservation of local television news collections across the United States. Prior to becoming an archivist, Becca worked for many years as a documentary archival producer on projects such as the Emmy-nominated PBS series “Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise” and “Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies.”

About Maureen Taylor:

Maureen is a frequent keynote speaker on photo identification, photograph preservation, and family history at historical and genealogical societies, museums, conferences, libraries, and other organizations across the U.S., London and Canada.  She’s the author of several books and hundreds of articles and her television appearances include The View and The Today Show (where she researched and presented a complete family tree for host Meredith Vieira).  She’s been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Better Homes and Gardens, The Boston Globe, Martha Stewart Living, Germany’s top newspaper Der Spiegel, American Spirit, and The New York Times. Maureen was recently a spokesperson and photograph expert for MyHeritage.com, an internationally known family history website and also writes guidebooks, scholarly articles and online columns for such media as Smithsonian.com. Learn more at Maureentaylor.com

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

The post Episode 164: Taking Care of Your Home Movies with Becca Bender appeared first on Maureen Taylor.