{"id":106002,"date":"2025-12-30T08:31:36","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T13:31:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/?p=106002"},"modified":"2025-12-30T08:31:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T13:31:36","slug":"genealogy-tips-your-photographs-will-be-thrown-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/genealogy-tips-your-photographs-will-be-thrown-away.html","title":{"rendered":"Genealogy Tips: Your Photographs Will Be Thrown Away"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/em><\/strong> In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega gives tips to make sure your descendants have, understand, and appreciate your family photos. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

One of the genealogical tasks I\u2019ve been working on is scanning family photos. As I gather photos to scan, I\u2019m finding that I have ancestral photos I didn\u2019t remember I had and that I need to share with family.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s another thing I\u2019m finding as I scan my inherited collections. Most, if not nearly all, of the photos are not labeled. No names, places, or dates. Nothing. Now in some cases this isn\u2019t a problem because I can identify the people in the photo, but unfortunately there are many I can\u2019t.<\/p>\n

This problem is also making me consider the photos that I have taken of my family. I haven\u2019t labeled many of those either because, after all, I know who the people are in those photos (kids, parents, siblings, etc.). That\u2019s the same thought those people staring back at me from 1950 were thinking. They too didn\u2019t plan for the day that they would no longer be around to identify who is in the photos.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/p>\n

Photo credit: https:\/\/depositphotos.com\/home.html<\/a><\/p>\n

The Garbage Can Is a Photo Repository<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it: many of our family photos will end up in the trash. Why? Our descendants will inherit hundreds if not thousands of photos, and when they do they will have to make decisions about what they want to keep. Now in some cases, photos that will be thrown away make sense. No one wants your photos of the animals you saw at the zoo in 1976. Or for that matter the 25 photos my dad accidentally took of Shamu jumping at Sea World. Photos of your memories from trips and events will be the first to go. Especially when they don\u2019t include people. That makes sense.<\/p>\n

But what about photos of family and friends? Are those friends identified on the back of the photo? Is the event or occasion listed on the photo? Without some context, your photos are destined for the trash can. I know that sounds harsh, but it\u2019s the truth in a world where kids don\u2019t want to inherit a bunch of stuff. Especially stuff that will mean work for them.<\/p>\n

I faced that with photos inherited from my mother-in-law. Some are pictures of her and friends at a get-together. No one is identified and we don\u2019t know anyone in the photos (except my mother-in-law). Keeping one of those photos makes sense but not the 10 that we inherited. It\u2019s too bad, but those photo have no meaning for us.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/p>\n

Photo credit: https:\/\/depositphotos.com\/home.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Preserve Your Photos for the Future<\/strong><\/p>\n

How do you ensure that your photo collections (both those you\u2019ve inherited and ones you have taken) are cherished by the generations to come? Well, there\u2019s nothing that is foolproof, but some things to consider include:<\/p>\n