A family genealogist?
My 101 year old grandmother just passed away and left us with bins full of family photos dating back to the early 1900s (or earlier?). My mom is hoping for help in both getting them organized and figuring out who is who and our relationship to people in the older photos. Does anyone have any recommendations on someone who does this kind of work?
Oct 19, 2024
Parent Replies
I would first see if a member of the younger generation of the family is willing to do it for some compensation. My next thought is the California Genealogical Society is based in Oakland and might have some thoughts on genealogy-enthusiasts-for-hire. https://www.californiaancestors.org/
You may also want to consult an archivist to ensure the photographs are housed and stored in the best possible way for long term preservation, and perhaps digitized. You could contact the Oakland-based ONDA group: https://theondagroup.org/
I don't think anyone will be able to match photos to names except a relative. I think you need 2 people - a geneologist to map your family, and a person who knows something about the photos to identify them. I would scan all of them and create digital file that everyone can see, number them or create a way for people to comment on each photo. Then ask every family member far and wide to help identify people. Then you can hire someone to do research and create family tree.
I'm a genealogist and member of California Genealogical Society. I have a few suggestions. As far as organizing the photos - that might indeed be a job for a family member (or several), especially if you can tell by looking at the pictures roughly when they date from.
Feel free to contact CGS: (https://www.californiaancestors.org/) by phone or email and they might be able to find someone to help you: Tel. (510) 663-1358. email: Library [at] californiaancestors.org (Library[at]californiaancestors[dot]org)
I love helping people with their family history, but going through bins of unknown photos, especially if they have little information, is a daunting task and I'm not sure many genealogists would be able to help with that.
This blog post offers a list of resources and suggestions to help date photos: https://lisalisson.com/top-10-resources-for-dating-old-photographs/
Perhaps most helpful: I suggest you visit the Oakland FamilySearch Center on Lincoln Drive where I and a number of local genealogists volunteer, teach classes, etc. They have an amazing array of scanners and resources and lots of friendly people happy to help you. And it's all free! Check out their website: https://www.familysearch.org/en/centers/oakland_california
Good luck!