Dating & Identifying Old Photos with Photo Detective Maureen Taylor

[@Chris-iz1rd]

I was given a mess of old photos that had been in my dad's childhood home. Many are not labeled, one is a tin type of two little girls. I decided earlier this year to take one of the photos that is in a chocolate photographers frame, embossed on the front Reynoldsville PA and build a tree for this young man. With only his name and the confirming of his home in Pennsylvania, I have developed a nice little tree. He came to PA with his parents about 10 years before my great grandparents landed in PA. It looks like they were neighbors in Cornwall and so word was spread about the fresh air and clean water in northern PA and my great grands moved with their children. It has helped me understand why my ancestors settled in such a quiet part of PA.

[@79klkw]

Love this story! Its based on facts 100%. Simple truth is best!

[@dawnbarry2985]

NYC took photos of all buildings between 1939 to 1941. I checked for the address where my mother's family lived at the time. I was so surprised to see my mother and her sisters playing outside the building in the photo.

[@GenealogyTV]

How cool is that?

[@janicehackbarth394]

There was a family group photo that my mom and I were able to start identifying the people. Some years ago, I shared the photo and between 3 different family members we were able to identify all but one. Turns out the photo was taken to commemorate a wedding anniversary. It takes a group effort sometimes. Maureen gave so many great tips about clothing and hairstyles. Thanks for introducing us to Maureen Taylor.

[@GenealogyTV]

Agreed. She is awesome.

[@leonaolson1176]

I got the book from my library but plan to buy it. I do book reviews and this will be on GoodReads and LibraryThing. I have plenty of old photos and have scanned many. I saw Maueen Taylor on Genealogy TV on You Tube and hosted by Constance Knox on September 12, 2023. This book has been updated for 2023. It is so interesting for those interested in family genealogy as well as those interested in photos. Contents: Introduction Bringing the Past to Life Talking with Relatives Cased Images Paper Prints and Negatives Color and Digital Photos Identifying the Photographer Images from Birth to Death Looking for Clues Identifying Costume Reading the Clues in Photographs Photograph Albums Adding Up the Clues Appendices Lots of pictures and a lot of information on kinds of photographs, history, dates of clothing and so much more.

[@bridgetsmith9352]

My grandfather and his brother were itinerant photographers for a short time back in the 1930s. I know of at least one photo they took. It was of a girl my great uncle fell in love with and married. I would love to find other photos taken by them.

[@julietuttle9083]

WOW...I never realized you could gleen so much information from a photo. I have a lot of old photos from my dads side of the family.....what I found interesting/odd.... was that there were so many copies of the same photos. Most are from the early 1920's on. My grandfather was a mining engineer and presume well off for the times. Where as my mothers family were farmers. There are no photos of her until her late teens.

[@GenealogyTV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@batya7]

You've given me some ideas about the family photos I inherited. Thanks. My grandmother kept everything... and didn't write who was who on the photos! This includes her sister-in-law's grandchildren's 6th grade photo, the anonymous blurry family group shot by some child, and the miscellaneous people that even my mother doesn't recognize. I did find a treasure, however, in the footwell of her treadle sewing machine: a group portrait onboard the ship that brought them to America, to the port of Philadelphia in 1922. I can positively identify my grandmother, my grandfather, and one of his sisters. The two women are wearing distinctive dresses with a flower (embroidered) on the bib! His brothers came at the same time, but I don't recognize them. I think I will donate this to a genealogical society.

[@GenealogyTV]

Great picture. Make sure you scan it before donating it for your archives.

[@batya7]

@GenealogyTV Actually, it needs restoration. I can photograph it as is, but cannot risk flattening it. There's a specialty service nearby which I'll consult before doing anything.👌 Conservation of photos & documents is another great topic to discuss.

[@conniemorenzoni7868]

I can remember my grandparents in photos with their horse or car on their farm. Cool program. Thanks it was very interesting and informative.

[@GenealogyTV]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@SuperAndreagt]

This will help me out with so many unnamed people on my photography that my mom got from her mom. Now I got them.Great information to me.🎉❤

[@GenealogyTV]

You are so welcome!

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks again for supporting the channel.

[@sharontabor7718]

Remember that fashion used to move slowly. A fashion trend (clothing, or hair) began in urban areas with wealthy people. It could take about 10 years to reach the rural areas of America. To date a photo within a decade via fashion is commendable. Men's fashion changed much slower and the best indicator is the length and width of ties. Many years ago, my uncle and I went through bags of photos he was given when my grandmother's estate was divided in the early 1970s. There were photos from the late 1800s, and early 1900s, that we were able to identify based on the location. A year before he died, we decided to pull the photos back out, and he intended to give me what photos I wanted since no one in his family was interested. They had disappeared. Remember that photos would not necessarily be your direct ancestor - people mailed photos to friends and family.

[@GenealogyTV]

Good points.

[@madmax72]

This was a great video 😊

[@GenealogyTV]

Thank you!! 😊

[@em4steam896]

I have a couple photos of my direct ancestors in front of a photograph that is mostly blocked by their body but I wonder if the picture is of another ancestor say a parent or siblings. It's can be frustrating because you see part of the picture but you can't see the whole picture. I often wonder what happened to the old pictures, if a cousin still has them or were they lost forever. It would be awesome if every soldier was photographed from the Civil War. Maybe in their company group photo? Another great video! Have a great weekend!

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks

[@marilyncarey7957]

Military uniforms - dear Aunt Ruby insisted the photo of her uncle in a fancy uniform was when he was Batman to some famous general. Closer inspection revealed he was a Porter at the Victoria Hotel in England! 🤦🏼‍♀️🤣🤣🤣✖️

[@GenealogyTV]

Love it.

[@cindyweaver6785]

Posting pictures on Facebook. I had a batch of of old card stock photos in a box of random stuff purchased from an estate sale. I posted the pictures on our local Facebook Genealogy/county history page. I found on family member locally. I have seen former residence that are now out of state identify their family members on a Facebook page.

[@dannymcdougallphd]

A fantastic episode, Connie, thank you! Part of the value of your channel is that you have garnered the respect of so many people that you have become a hub of information. You aren't only focused on your knowledge, you facilitate introductions to other experts. This episode hits close to my own interests, and I'm grateful for it!

[@GenealogyTV]

Wow, thank you!

[@dannymcdougallphd]

An overdue kudos! Keep doing your thing, @@GenealogyTV

[@dannymcdougallphd]

'You tend to focus for photographs the same way throughout your life.' This is a great observation. it's been very helpful for me to relax a bit and look at the people as people. What were their habits? Their styles? This helps me develop a hypothesis that I can consider through other work. Great tip!

[@conniemurdoch8528]

Oh gosh this is a fabulous video. About 30-40 years ago there was a “family history” book written for our township the year our township turned 100. It was fumbled from the beginning as they asked for only 1 person from each family name to give them a write up. The people that did our section were much younger than most of the people still living in the township so they wrote what they had always thought was the truth. Many of the pictures were said to be someone and they were not and there were folks still alive that could have given that information or at least a bit of information that’s not on the photos. It was a great idea but it would have been better if some of those that knew for certain who those people in the photo had been contact to verify it. My Dad was terribly upset to see a picture said to be his father and mother that in his opinion was not. About that he said “I should know because I’m their son!” . I have photos of my mom in WWII that I never would have guessed were her so I think that explanation isn’t always accurate. I’m fortunate that she gave me the info to identify her in each pic but I wish I had more info of who the others were. It was a group of Women’s Land Army members and who knows I might have been able to reach out to their descendants for more info. I think this book might be a useful one. I have so many of these photos that I have no idea who they are. I would love to find out who they are so I could pass them along.

[@ipomoeaalba936]

The BEST person for the job

[@jamieaasen7285]

My box of family ephemera had some vintage negatives from the 1950, which were square and each one was a separate single negative. I used a photo app to scan the negative to my cell phone. The purpose was to see the picture from the negative. That was only 10 seconds for each picture to develop to my phone. I found them to all be in black and white. I did discover that my dad, uncles, and aunt had a Huge playground Slide in their yard, and they also played with wagons.. Another set of negatives had a Christmas with toys and a REAL tree with long shiny tinsel that covered most of that tree. That tinsel was called Angle Hair. Now a-days we use garland. Anyways, My grandparents, and OR my dad's parents were sitting on the floor with their kids; my dad, uncles, and aunt, in front of their Christmas tree for a holiday family photo. Boy did my grandparents look young. AND, I found out that my grandfather's mother took those pictures because she was there on a visit for Christmas. I enjoyed getting that info just as much as seeing the actual photos. The entire experience was neat I got to go down memory lane and it was a super neat trip! Bonus was discovering the toys that were for kids in the mid 1950s. I think using photos can help solve many questions we have when piecing it all together. I Enjoyed your video!!!

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks so much. I forgot about "angel hair," thanks for the memory.

[@gerry8558]

Thank you, Connie and Maureen. You brought great insight into my photos. My photos were all dropped and mixed within three families. I’m guessing most of the photos are from Saskatchewan, my father side I’m not sure how to ask my family they’re not very talkative. Thank you so much though I have other photos of my family and I do know a lot of the people, I really appreciate both your help today. Have a great day.

[@GenealogyTV]

Wonderful!

[@gfjchs3n1]

This was great!

[@maryfrump7937]

I had old photos from the early 1900. I knew most everyone, but only found out the othrs names when I did my genealogy.

[@hemichallenger3643]

I had a situation the other day involving photo's. I tend to overdo research, as a mechanical engineer attention to detail is key, but I always try to grab a headshot or photo of EVERY person in my tree. So at some point, on living DNA cousins or other such additions to my tree, I send a FB message to people. Usually just a quick message and a snip of the tree to kind of show that I'm not a creeper or otherwise. One young lady from Seattle area was inquisitive as to where I fell in that tree. So I expanded best I could and managed to show how the tree looked where were both in it. I didn't think much of it, but I had everyone in that photo. Literally every man woman and child from 1880 till present day. While she "appreciated my enthusiasm" she was very disturbed to see photo's of every living man, woman, and child and demanded them removed. I let her know they can not be seen by anyone other than me. And then she locked her tree and blocked me. Who knew? I guess I'll need to be more careful in the future.

[@GenealogyTV]

Humm…. Sorry to hear that.

[@valauramiddleton686]

Really interesting and great information. I once discovered a photo of a family member that had been put into the frame from another studio.

[@martiphone4884]

YES! I was thinking the younger fellow on the far right, is maybe the wife's brother or even a cousin. I also see a framed photo on the wall in the background too. You need to see if ANYONE inherited ANY of those photos and/or albums! So strange to dress boys in dresses/skirts; unless it made potty training easier in a dress, than in pants. Love Photos, even if I don't know any of the people in them!

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks

[@Herlongian]

Sometimes when a child is frowning with an odd look, it is because he got in trouble and had to be yelled at to get him to stop playing around and pose now. In this case, it is not a clue for future photos.

[@beerw1]

My Father does not show up in my DNA. My mother does not show up either but other members of her family do. The thru-lines say 0 dna on both of them. They are both deceased so I cannot ask them. I am 73 and I understand I'm probably starting too late. Anyone have any suggestions I would love to hear them.

[@GenealogyTV]

First don't rely on Thrulines because it built on other member trees that might be wrong. Do your own research on the DNA cousins that you do have and see where it leads you.

[@eavesdroppin1]

I don't know why I didn't think of genealogy on You Tube before this! I have, to me, a huge tree on Ancestry (almost 40K). I worked many, many years on it and recently just got tired. However, this was very interesting, and I have used some of the things that Ms Taylor has used in identifying some of the photos. Not that I knew her or read her books; I just researched. My mother lived to age 90 and died in 2016 and she was a big help, though I uncovered lots of amazing things that she never knew. I also did my DNA (also my youngest son, my oldest granddaughter and my niece) which was wonderful. Also, I wanted to mention that my mother's side has mostly been here since the 1700's, but my father's side emigrated in the late 1890's from Denmark. Lots of Danish history help from the wonderful people there, although FamilySearch has much of it translated these days. Will be catching up on your postings!

[@GenealogyTV]

Awesome thanks

[@Herlongian]

Sometimes it can be you in the photo and you may or may not recognize yourself. Relatives back in Texas on my Dad’s side had a pic of my Grandma with 3 small children. On the back it said, Mamie with unknown children. Me and my 2 brothers are the unknown children!

[@redf7209]

I find child photos are difficult as most reference material is based on adults. If you can identify a regiment in the UK forces there is probably a regimental museum with a website that can date the attributes of the uniform.

[@suzannechalifoux8587]

This video is great and so useful!!! Thank you so much both of you!!

[@maryfrump7937]

I wish I still had family to ask. They are all gone. But my mother was the keeper of the family history. And she was 100 percent correct!

[@kolix3008]

another helpful video

[@GenealogyTV]

Glad you think so!

[@RocketRenee46]

I LOVE THIS EPISODE!

[@GenealogyTV]

THANKS!

[@79klkw]

I wish i had recorded my grandpa 5 years ago...he passed away and i wish i had this recorded. Your tip is great

[@jewellcrawford5136]

Very interesting!

[@MelanieSchemanski]

Perfect timing as I just started researching a box of photos from my Grandfathers Adoptive family. No DNA matches for sure makes it harder but these suggestions will help.

[@kathleenkelley1299]

Love Maureen Taylor and her analysis of your photos. Her books are great and Maureen also has a podcast that is very informative

[@GenealogyTV]

Agreed Thanks again for your continued support of the channel.

[@skiser65]

This was fascinating to watch 😊

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks. Thanks for supporting the channel.

[@kathyastrom1315]

I have a photo of an elderly woman with “Granma” on the back in my grandmother’s handwriting. The only grandmother she had who lived that long was her father’s mother Carrie. However, the last photo I have of her was dated to 1922, only six years before she died. The change between the two photos was significant in terms of aging. Every person to whom I have shown the two has been skeptical that they are the same woman. However, I really think they might be. (The 1922 picture was from a newspaper so the quality is not good. I have an earlier photo from 1917 that is much clearer.) Do you think it’s possible for someone to age greatly over six years? I think that, if her health wasn’t good, she could have gotten a full head of white hair and her face could have continued to line (the 1922 photo already showed signs of her neck wrinkling). I like to use ear and nose shape as consistent markers. The earlobes match really well, but the nose shape is hard to judge because of the different angles of her head in the two photos.

[@anneahlert2997]

She would have survived the 1918 Pandemic between those two images. Is it possible the experience aged her quickly? I don't know, but you might want to investigate the medical aging effects of that particular pandemic.

[@kathyastrom1315]

@@anneahlert2997 The newspaper photo was from 1922, and she wasn’t nearly as old-looking there, so it wasn’t the flu. (Sadly, Carrie did lose a granddaughter to the flu-my grandmother’s baby sister Hazel died of it in November 1918, when she was only 18 months old.)

[@luckylibra409]

First of all, great video. I’ve been trying to identify people in a portrait that my grandpa passed down to me. They were originally on cardboard, but they copied them to paper decades ago. I have the original though. So I’m definitely going to check out Maureen’s website. So I recently received a lot of information from my granduncle who is married to my grandma’s fraternal twin. He sent me letters from a cousin in the 1980s who was doing research on our family, who happened to emigrate from Denmark to Minnesota, Washington, ND, etc. I’m still going through the information she sent. I also received a copy of a will for a relative who died in the 1980s who had no children, siblings, or any other close relatives. So her estate was divided up among her paternal uncle’s family. The estate lawyers genealogically researched her tree in order to send the money where it belonged. We were part of that tree. Anyway, I noticed your Jensen who married a Johnson. I have Jensens in those documents from Vejle, Denmark. I don’t know if these documents would be something you’re interested in. I’m just beginning my research into this line of the family and received my grandaunt’s DNA results today, so this should be fun.

[@GenealogyTV]

We're might related. My Jensens are from Vejle, Denmark as well. They changed their name to Johnson after immigrating to the US. Check out the Danish archives online. They are free to research. It's is a little tricky to navigate though. It is best to start with Ancestry as they have some of the records indexed... but then you need to figure out which folder the records are in. Also, know they are in Danish, but they are awesome records.

[@petercassidy6525]

Can you tell me if there is a coupon code for Maureen Taylor's book? It is showing full price on her site. Thanks!!

[@GenealogyTV]

She forgot to put it on sale before she went on vacation. She said she would fix it on Monday when she returns.

[@cindyweaver6785]

How old was the little girl in your picture when she died? I read where they sometimes propped up a person in standing position after death for a photo. Maybe that picture on on the left with the couple is the daughter that passed. That could be a clue to your photo.

[@recycledmusic7530]

MyHertage Dating is hit or miss, even when there is adequate information in the image. I find it's off by +- 10-20 years on turn-of-the-century images. Never discount the old Sears Catalogs for dating clothes.

[@michaelmayrend313]

Hello. I wondered if you had any suggestions for digitally sharing photos between extended family members. Is there an application where you can share large numbers of photos, and others can add comments identifying those in each photo? Like a group discussion trying to come to a consensus? Adding proof, or maybe uploading a different identified photo, to make an identification confirmation? Maybe a personal or family wiki?

[@GenealogyTV]

The easiest would be something like Google Drive where you can share an entire folder of stuff. You can also invite people to you tree on Ancestry with all that stuff.

[@donnal.oglesby4806]

I got the idea to start video tapping my now late mom after she was diganosed with Alzheimer's, BUT the video has a bit of swearing in it .. But still glad I got it when I did, cause she got worse and passed away soon after. I have a BIt of my stepfather as well,, and again started video taping him, after my mother passed and again glad I did cause soon after he had a stroke and a yr later he passed, so at least I got a little of both of them. So many that I knew, and that I could of recorded, as of five yrs ago cause they were still living and now also gone. Sigh..

[@GenealogyTV]

I'm sorry for your loss.

[@MaxCarroll]

Great video

[@GenealogyTV]

Thanks!

[@catherinejalbert8440]

How do I get the book for that price? When I click the link the book is not that price.

[@GenealogyTV]

She forgot to put it on sale before she went on vacation. She said she would fix it on Monday when she returns.

[@user-ko7ce9uz6l]

I am the user of this KZbin terms of service.😊😊😊😅😮😢🎉😂

[@stevechrismillersarro5445]

I have a Good Question. From the time, you upload, one of your photos, to a Family Member, in your tree. How long does take, for people, that work at Ancestry, to look, at what you upload? Meaning, Ancestry looking at your photos, and seeing what ethnicity, this or that, Family Member, looks like. That would, also help, knowing, what Ethnicities, your Family really is. Now, I'm not saying, I doint know, what Ethnicity, this or that Family Member is, in that Pacific Photo. Just For, Ancestry, to see, for them selves. By uploading Photos, of Family Members, it should Give, Ancestry, a clue, to what ethnicity, your Family Members is. Along with, your DNA, that you sent to the lab

[@GenealogyTV]

I don't think a human at Ancestry looks at your photos at all.

[@stevechrismillersarro5445]

Oh, So Ancestry, doesn't look at photos, being posted, to your Family Tree?

[@janeechols8631]

Can you date a photo if I send a snapshot of the photo to you.

[@GenealogyTV]

Maureen does consultations here maureentaylor.com/product/photo-consultation/