5 places to find photos of your ancestors

Photos are a great addition to your family information, especially if you can identify individuals and events. Here are 5 places you can find photos of your ancestors:

Check with your parents, grandparents and siblings

Even though photos are increasingly 'born digital', there are still hard copy albums in attics and cupboards. Photos like cool, dark places, away from natural light, and excessive heat so they are usually fairly well preserved. Don’t remove them from an album, unless they are in very poor condition.

Local Histories

Many local heritage societies are now publishing parish journals or magazines that attract interest from around the country and indeed the world. They are often a surprising source for family images, particularly if your ancestors worked in a trade or business.

Memorial Cards

Many Irish families can easily put their hand on at least half a dozen of these. Issued a short time after the death of a loved you, they include the deceased death details and age as well as a passport-sized image. Older images are in black and white.

Local Newspapers

Perhaps your ancestor won a prize or was included in a local news report for some other reason. Newspaper archives are increasing the stock of editions now available online.

Year Books

School year books are really popular. If your ancestor emigrated, there may be yearbooks that provide a photo of your ancestor’s early time in school.