Old family photos with no identification

[SecondStarOnTheRight]

Please can I recommend that if you have any old family photos with nothing written on to say exactly who it is, that you write down if you know or ask any relatives while you can to confirm who is on them.

We've been researching our family tree for a while now, and last night went through a box of family documents and photos. There must be a hundred photos at least and most of them with nothing to say who the people are, and when they do have a name, there's not enough information.

Sadly there's no one we can ask now as to who they might be. These photos are lovely, children's school photos, wedding photos, christenings etc but we'll probably never be able to identify any of them.

I’m in a similar situation. My mum has written on some of then, mostly just first names but I’ve been able to work out who some of them are from that. I wish I’d taken an afternoon to go through them with mum. She would have known who they all were. There are very few photos from my dads side and sadly, many photos from my mums side, along with jewellery and war medals from WW1, were lost in the Clydebank blitz.

This is my biggest heartbreak of the entire family tree experience - finding people you never knew about through the census/FreeBMD but then 'losing' all those people in the unannotated photos!

I spent weeks trying to sleuth my way through a massive Victorian photo album I found in my parents' house while clearing it out. Weeks and weeks of forensic detective work that bloody Line of Duty would be proud of... only to be told by an aunt that my mum had bought the album at an auction and had no idea who any of the people were. Only that they 100% definitely weren't related to us...

Likewise, it's so sad. I have a whole load of them as well.

It's a really nice old person activity for a wet Sunday visit, or post surgery or something... I've done it with in-laws and my own grandparents - the family stories just flow so make sure you have a pencil! Best written on the back or the photo so it will never get separated.
I also bought one of those "Towns through Time" type books for my grandparents - old photos of the town they grew up in - and we read it together - I made notes!

and don't forget to label yourself.

My granny wrote on the back of most of hers but never once identified herself.

May not matter today or next generation but by the time it does no one will know who you are.

Several times when my MIL has started chatting about her long deceased relatives I've recorded it on my phone, obviously checking she's OK with it first.
Much easier than writing it down, and captures her voice for future generations as well.

That's such a lovely thing to do - and you've reminded me to do something similar with MIL next time I see her. I'm guessing it wouldn't be that hard to make a slideshow of family photos linked with her voice describing them, to keep for future generations.

Be sure and write in pencil ( not ink) and then seal with a fixant- like hairspray or varnish to preserve it.

We've still got relations on one side of the family to check their photos; but on the other side there's no one left that we can contact. We have ideas on who some of them are but without confirming it I don't want to write anything.

Sadly on that side of the family my grandparents died when I was a baby, my mum died in my teens, all before I got interested in it.

We've even come across birthday/wedding cards etc saying from X and Y, but again we have no idea who they're from! I've started when keeping any cards now, I'm writing on the back when they where received and who the person is sending it, so hopefully I remember for future use and its known for any future family history!

This is one thing I forget too!