Twelve Months of the Photo Detective
It's time to look back at the year. Every week I write a Photo Detective blog post—that's 52 columns in 12 months. It's a lot of free photographic advice and tips. Here are my month-by-month 2012 favorites.JanuaryLast New Year's I offered advice on sharing images online, tackled a photo...
Read MoreYour Farmer Ancestors: Threshing in South Dakota
There are a lot of comments on my posting on the threshing photos I saw last month at Jamboree. I learned a lot about the threshing process. Thank you! Sharon Pike sent in another picture of threshing wheat. It's of her family in South Dakota. Being...
Read MoreTrick or Treat in Your Family Album
It's Halloween and time for trick or treat. You might have images of this holiday in your family album. These two young girls, c. 1920 are dressed in the style popular for the period. On the right the dots on this girl's outfit suggest she's a...
Read MoreFinding Ancestors’ Letters to Santa in Online Newspapers
Find your ancestors' childhood letters to Santa Claus.
Read MoreThanksgiving Facts You Might Not Know
What really happened at the Pilgrim's Thanksgiving meal in 1621? Here are some Thanksgiving facts you might not know.
Read MoreProtect Your Holiday Photos
If you're considering sharing or gifting old family photos, follow these tips to make it a photo-safe holiday.
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Year-Round Holiday Heritage Ideas Premium
Make your holiday more than just a day off—take opportunities to explore the social history surrounding special days and find out where your family fit into the festivities.
Read MoreHoliday Scrapbook Ideas Premium
During the holidays, long-standing traditions link today's families with their heritage. Personalize your holiday-themed scrapbook pages by using family customs to inspire your choice of embellishments, motifs and page titles. Ask relatives about their favorite traditions, or research your ethnic background to uncover ideas like these: If you have German...
Read MoreHistorical Holiday Timeline Premium
162 BC Jews victorious over King Antiochus 320 Dec. 25 set as the birthday of Christ by Pope Julius I 490 Advent established as a period of fasting 1561 Christmas trees mentioned for the first time in a printed document 1659 Massachusetts makes Christmas illegal  ...
Read MorePhoto Detective: Holiday Photo Cards Premium
This week, I received my first Christmas e-card, complete with a digital photo attached—a 21st-century spin on an old tradition. Photographic holiday cards have been around since the medium's early beginnings, in the 1840s. If your family has been sending and receiving cards for a number of years—or even generations—then...
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