As I talked about in this post, we became the family historians kind of by accident. And once word got out, we have been sent information and pictures from lots of different branches of our families. Keeping it all organized is a big challenge.
As challenging as all the information has been to keep organized, the pictures have added another level of complication. Initially, I was keeping track of the pictures on legal pads. It was simple lists of all the information I could get while talking to Georgie as we were going through slides or picture albums or scanning pictures.
At one point, a glitch occurred and some of the pictures that had been scanned in were lost. When that happened, the numbering system was corrupted, and my lists were less helpful than they might have been. I have been able to piece some of it back together, but I am going to have to go back through the pictures and see if I can figure out the rest of it.
First database
When you are dealing with about 14 banker’s boxes of pictures from multiple generations of family, finding the one you want can be pretty tricky. I decided a searchable database would be the way to go, so I started one. My first attempt was pretty clunky since I hadn’t worked with spreadsheets very much. I just listed people by last name, first name, maiden name. Columns were added to give the location and date of the picture if known. The last column was when the picture had been scanned and the scan number.
Second database
I very quickly realized that this list was going to be enormous if I put each person on an individual line. So, I started a new database with a new naming convention and a column for where the picture came from. I thought it would make sense if I divided the pictures by main family line. I used initial of the last name, Link, Wellman, Hoel, Kempker. The approximate date of the picture was next, followed by a location (the two letter state abbreviations) and a number.
The problem with this system was that as I sorted the pictures, two pictures from the same event might be separated if one was of Carl (a Hoel) and one of Georgie (a Link). Also, when I was given my Grandmother Kellogg’s photos, what letter was I going to use there? Time to reconsider again.
Storage on the computer
I was also trying to figure out how to store the digital pictures on the computer. At first, there were folders for the dates I had scanned the pictures. Then I decided to put them in folders by decade. Now I am moving to by year.
The old set of folders on the left, the new one on the right.
So what did I end up with?
In each folder, there is a subfolder for the original scan of the picture. The edited version of the picture is kept in the main folder. I edit the pictures for clarity and to remove any damage such as scratches or spots. We are also editing the slides for color correction.
An original picture and the edited version.
For the decades prior to 1920, the folders are by decade. If I end up with enough pictures and documents in those folders, I will divide them by years. After 1920, each decade has folders for the individual years. Then If I am looking for information on a wedding that took place in 1928, I can just go to that year.
I am adding information to the digital photos as well. This image metadata gives information about the picture that stays with the picture. I am also adding an “information plate” to the pictures after editing so that the basic data is on the image itself.
For the digital picture and the database, I am updating the naming convention. It will now be year, followed by month, then location, family designation, and a number. For the family designation, we are using the four main lines that come into our family – Link and Hoel for Walt’s side and James and Kellogg for my side.
Hopefully this will keep us rolling along for a while as we continue to discover new things in the family history.
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