When my parents died I inherited boxes of old photos.  Some are black and white, some are yellowed with age, some are sepia-colored.  What a treasure!

But, for the most part the people in them are all strangers to me.  The sad part is I know they are mostly ancestors of mine.  But, who are they?

If this sounds familiar to you, pull out those photos now!  Don’t keep putting it off.  Talk to family members while they are still around and ask them to help identify them.

But, please don’t write names and info in INK on the back of the photo!  And even worse, on the front of the photo!!  Believe me, I’ve seen this many times.  Instead, if you must write on the back, use a pencil and write lightly.  Or, write on a sticky note and put it on the back on the margin of the photo.  (Have sticky notes been around long enough for us to know what that sticky stuff might do to the photo paper over time?)  And don’t tape any notes to the photo. We know what tape will do. ( I’ve tried to carefully peel off old tape from a photo before scanning it.  What a photo-retouching job that was!)

And, finally, place the photos in the proper acid-free storage medium in a dark, dry, cool place.