Three Things You Can Do With Mystery Family Photos?

We all have those photos we got from our parents or grandparents, and you haven’t a clue as to who they are. I recently met a lady at “farmer’s market,” and she told me that if she didn’t know who they were, she just tore them up. I tried not to show that I was “freaking out” at the thought of throwing out old photos. Here’s what I told her.

1. Instead of throwing them out, you could scan them and put them in a folder on your computer or FOREVER. You could call that album “Mystery Photos.” If you’re a genealogist (I’m pretty sure you are, wink), you never know when you will find that new cousin who knows exactly who that person is. I show many of my newfound cousins my mystery album.
2. Put on your detective hat and try and figure out who the photo could be, or at least look at the clues in the picture. Are there cars in the photo? What year are they? What type of clothing are they wearing? What about hairstyles? Can you tell the year by their clothing or hair? Do you have an idea about the location of the photo?
   • There are likely only a few reasons your parents or grandparents kept those photos. They were either family or very close friends. There may be more clues to that photo than you think (see below how I figured one photo out)
3. Once you’ve gathered some info about the photos, you could
   • Create a “free space” on WikiTree by going to add and then “New Free add” and then “family mysteries.”
   • Create an album on MyHeritage
   • Create an album on Ancestry in their new StoryMakers Studio

First, let’s talk about how you get those physical photos into a digital format.

If you have a printer/scanner, then that’s easy, but if you don’t, then Reimagine by MyHeritage is exactly what you need.

Reimagine is perfect for trips and when you’re at a cousin’s house. I recently used it at my Aunt’s funeral, where they had a photo display. I used Reimagine, and all the photos were uploaded to my account in seconds. (my cousins were amazed).

Note: A yearly Reimagine subscription costs $49.99 (or equivalent in local currency) and begins with a 7-day free trial, so users can experience the app before they commit. A monthly subscription costs $7.99/month and does not come with a free trial. Both plans include unlimited use of all Reimagine features.

For the longest time, this was SCAN1992, and it was in my mystery album. I knew it was my mom’s cousin Edgar Robert (Bob) Beaton who married Kaye MacIntosh. So when I initially looked at it, I assumed it must be his wife, Kaye. So my first tip …. DON’T ASSUME.

I realized my mistake when entering some info about Bob, specifically Bob and Kaye’s wedding information. I’d never researched Bob because he and Kaye had no children, so there wasn’t much to add. Most of the time, I’m looking for DNA possibilities; Bob or any children would have been a perfect candidate because he is from my great-grandfather William Beaton’s second marriage, but Bob died long ago, and there were no children, or so I thought. There’s that problem again… don’t assume that you know.

I noticed that Bob and Kay were married in 1959; he was 41, and she was 401. I’d never looked at how old they were when they married, but that made me think he might have been married before. I’d never looked for him in The Edmonton Journal at Newspapers.com, so I immediately looked.

Guess what I found? He was married before to someone named Louise. Although this divorce proceeding started in 1951, the final divorce took much longer. A Decree Nisi (one step closer to divorce) was announced in the paper on February 26, 1957. The final decree was announced on August 22 of the same year.

My next step was to go to the Provincial Archives of Alberta, and sure enough, I could access the divorce document, so I ordered it. I received a thirty-seven-page document. Among the papers was exhibit “c,” which was a photo that the bailiff used to identify Bob Beaton, and I happen to have that photo in my mom’s collection.

If it hadn’t been for some sleuthing, I never would have known who this mystery woman was.

The major takeaway for me is don’t assume.

Also, if you can purchase a document, buy it. If I hadn’t purchased the divorce file, I not only wouldn’t have known who the lady was, but I never would have known that they had a child and gave it up for adoption. Yes, the file had that detail. So there could be another DNA match out there or a descendant of that child out there, and I can provide answers.

Figuring out those mystery pictures can be challenging and sometimes almost impossible, but with some work, you might be one step closer to solving your mystery.

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If you’d like to organize your photo and digital legacy, join me at FOREVER. I’m a Senior FOREVER Ambassador, and if you sign up with my invitation or choose me as your Ambassador, I’ll be with you every step of the way on your project. I provide one-on-one consults as well as group get-togethers.

If you like this and other articles you’ve seen, then never miss a single one. Sign up and join the hunt. I’d love for you to be part of the “pack”.