KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Karmacat

Frogletina wrote: »

Thanks Karmacat and everyone who has commented regarding my photographs

I am the one in the family who is trying to do the family tree as my dad died when I was 8 and my mother when I was in my early thirties. My mother noted a lot of names on the photographs but not all of them, and I am still trying to identify where some of the people fit in the family tree. I haven't yet decided how to produce a record of this when it is completed.

Sorry to hear this, Frogletina

Is there anyone from the generation above you still alive and able to chat about the photos? Oral history is the first step to take (I'm not sure how far along the family history journey you are, sorry if this is teaching-grandmother-to-suck-eggs).

Having them in this album, although sorted in chronological order, is not the same as having them displayed properly in smaller albums with notes saying who they are.

I'm not printing anything at all right now - I may eventually do a private kindle book, or a hard copy book via photobucket or some such - because then I can have the story in there, as well as the photos and their descriptions.

I held some of the wedding photos today and I was amazed how easy it was to tell which ones sparked joy.

It's going to take me a while to deal with this category - I even have some slides (but no slide viewer) and as some of these were of me, my brother and my mum taken by my dad, they are very precious. I need to view them, and see how I can get the best ones printed out. It is years since I saw them properly.

That's lovely - and I'm glad you've had feedback since on how to go forward.

Mara_uk7 wrote: »

Hi Frogletina, I use a website called Tribal Pages to store and update our family tree, you can add photos, and give a password to any family members who want to see it. You can ( if you really trust someone, gve them admin rights to add or update info ... I dont yet, too much of a control freak ....... but get info by email, check it out, then add it myself) It costs around £15 a year to maintain it, but it means its available to the wdely scattered family instead of sendng bits to various branches.

Finances have long been too iffy for me to pay out for webspace and I don't trust that these sorts of websites will survive long term sorry. I don't even use ged files ... What I think I *am* going to do is what my youngest nephew did with his wedding photos (which took up 5 gigs of space!) and put them on google drive, which is free. And *only* use google drive for my genealogy notes, so that I can share the password freely, and people can take what they want from it.

In addition, when I've got things into a state where I'm comfortable with them, I'll make flashdrives for those who want them, with the same information as the kindle/book has. I've never used physical photo albums, they're not my thing, though I understand the attraction.

When my mum died, my brother said to me, "what will happen to all your genealogy stuff when *you* die?" It got me thinking

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Frogletina

Siebrie wrote: »

Very interesting read about all the photographs. I used to take many and keep them all, until I realised that I don't actually look at them anymore, and that putting them in albums was a chooooooore! I decided to buy a small album wherever I was on vacation (lots of group vacations -I was single until 35), that would hold about 20 pictures, and that that would be my memory of the trip. Immediate culling, and nice albums (think bananaleaf, sari, etc.) that store easily. I have delegated the task of making albums for my dds to my parents, who have the time to have pictures developed and pick them up. They bring over a few pictures everytime we / they visit and we put them in their slide-in albums. All pictures are dated and described on the back.

I used to put my photos in little slip albums (one on each page) each time they were developed - but I took them out of those as it was a chore to keep looking for the photos I wanted and no space to add who they were. I've the very large album and lots of smaller ones - two to a page, which I can label.

I need to cull some of the ones I have as no-one wants to wade through the amount I have.

When I've reduced them I want to put them permanently into albums using photo corners so they are more interesting to look at.

Thank goodness I now use the internet or I'd have far too many to deal with. The good thing is that I could get the best of the ones online if I wanted to make an album of newer ones. It's the old ones physical that are overwhelming

frogletina

Frogletina

Pooky wrote: »

You can get slide and negative readers that plug into your pc now. Makes it much easier to then save the photos and print those that you want to.

Thank you. I didn't know about those. I will check that out.

I don't have a printer at the moment, but need to get a new one. Do you have a suggestion of a good printer for photos?

frogletina

Frogletina

Mara_uk7 wrote: »

Hi Frogletina, I use a website called Tribal Pages to store and update our family tree, you can add photos, and give a password to any family members who want to see it. You can ( if you really trust someone, give them admin rights to add or update info ... I don't yet, too much of a control freak ....... but get info by email, check it out, then add it myself) It costs around £15 a year to maintain it, but it means its available to the widely scattered family instead of sending bits to various branches.

That sounds interesting, I will check that out.

I have a large plastic box with so much information in it which I need to collate properly. I don't want to leave that to future generations.

frogletina

VJsmum

Interesting about photos, we have been buying Bonusprint vouchers at christmas time to do photo books from our digital photos. £25 voucher has just bought me an 80 page book with around three / four photos on each page (varying sizes), photo cover plus delivery. Also the use by date on the voucher has made us get on and do it - one from our holiday a few years ago has just arrived and it's lovely.

Also, I am kondoing socks as i use them - my DD has said i can have all her socks as she has decided they are too small for her and she needs to wear men's socks, so as mine develop holes I am replacing with a pair of hers :T

Edit: Just had a look and there is this deal currently going on

https://www.bonusprint.co.uk/offers/mse-voucher-pb-feb-17?utm_campaign=PAR_MSE_WEB_25514_L80&utm_source=Moneysavingexperts&utm_medium=Website

Frogletina

Karmacat wrote: »

Sorry to hear this, Frogletina

Is there anyone from the generation above you still alive and able to chat about the photos? Oral history is the first step to take (I'm not sure how far along the family history journey you are, sorry if this is teaching-grandmother-to-suck-eggs).

I have an uncle (my mother's younger brother). I don't see him often but I do have his email address. I'm struggling more with my father's side of the family and I don't have any contacts for any of them. I remember his mother who outlived him, and then his sister in law but they died a while ago. I tried to contact a cousin through one of the online sites, as I saw we had relatives in common, but had no reply.

I have gone back about 4 generations so far, and have found that one of my paternal relatives went to America, I also have the name of the ship that she went on along with I think one child and the rest stayed in England. Would love to find out how that part of the family fared. I have a couple of newspaper articles I found on line.

I'm not printing anything at all right now - I may eventually do a private kindle book, or a hard copy book via photobucket or some such - because then I can have the story in there, as well as the photos and their descriptions.

That sounds lovely. There are individuals in my family tree that I'd love to focus on. I'd love a hard copy book as well. I'll have plenty of time to concentrate on this project once I've finished my KM journey.

I've never used physical photo albums, they're not my thing, though I understand the attraction.

When my mum died, my brother said to me, "what will happen to all your genealogy stuff when *you* die?" It got me thinking

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My youngest daughter wants to inherit my photo albums and I expect my genealogy research as well...I had to ask my brother the photo album which contained the oldest photos of me. I did have a lot of loose photos but the ones in the album are lovely. He has about 3 of him (being the first born) and his are all lovely labelled and tell little stories. I guess when I came along my mother and father had much less time to do that with my photos.

I had a wonderful childhood and my photos convey that. So sad that my dad died so young.

frogletina

Frogletina

VJsmum wrote: »

Interesting about photos, we have been buying Bonusprint vouchers at christmas time to do photo books from our digital photos. £25 voucher has just bought me an 80 page book with around three / four photos on each page (varying sizes), photo cover plus delivery. Also the use by date on the voucher has made us get on and do it - one from our holiday a few years ago has just arrived and it's lovely.

Edit: Just had a look and there is this deal currently going on

https://www.bonusprint.co.uk/offers/mse-voucher-pb-feb-17?utm_campaign=PAR_MSE_WEB_25514_L80&utm_source=Moneysavingexperts&utm_medium=Website

I'm not at the stage yet when I can start to do this, but thanks for the information.

I've a friend who has made a photo book for a family member which is wonderful. When I am ready to do my books I will ask for his imput - as he is a good photographer I am sure he will be able to give me some good advice as to the layout.

frogletina

Karmacat

Frogletina said:
I have an uncle (my mother's younger brother). I don't see him often but I do have his email address. I'm struggling more with my father's side of the family and I don't have any contacts for any of them. I remember his mother who outlived him, and then his sister in law but they died a while ago. I tried to contact a cousin through one of the online sites, as I saw we had relatives in common, but had no reply.

Honestly, I'd advise interviewing the uncle with typical "oral history questions", this sort of thing: http://oralhistory.library.ucla.edu/familyHistory.html. It's the things we take for granted, that have often changed so much, that are really interesting.

Write down your own memories too. I know that sounds weird, but I did that exercise last year with my (younger) sister, about her late husband's family, she knew a lot more than she thought she did.

I have gone back about 4 generations so far, and have found that one of my paternal relatives went to America, I also have the name of the ship that she went on along with I think one child and the rest stayed in England. Would love to find out how that part of the family fared. I have a couple of newspaper articles I found on line.

Keep trying to find other researchers online who share your tree - we've received help, and given lots too. I had a great great grandfather who ended up living in New York as widower, while half his children were still in this country, and through online trees and forums etc we found a distant cousin in New Jersey, a writer, whose sons had found all sorts of stuff in the New York census and pension records, it was amazing.

HTH and good luck!

[Deleted User]

This about photos is tremendously interesting, seems that it is hard for everyone, in different ways. I was from the slides era and I remember dh using a plug in device to scan the slides. I made books via a company called blurb, the results were superb and it is so nice to see the younger generation buying my family photo history books. If they ever send me any profit, once they have processed my husbands passing, then it will go to air ambulance, which is a true life saver in my part of the world

Not much achieved today, although I haven`t stopped and tomorrow I will take several pairs of yak trax to the cs

MMF007

This kondo feels very MSE...... the elderly lady I visit in local care home mentioned how she had enjoyed doing some art one afternoon. Unfortunately the felt tips they were using to colour in were very old and unreliable (drying out I think).
It is her birthday on friday and I had been at a loss for a present (everyone is giving her chocolates!). Sooo, I raided my present stash for my young nieces and found a lovely set of felt tips and a colouring book that is actually a set of postcards that are flower pictures that you detatch for use once coloured in! *

I have also got a HM card to give her.

*I considered getting an adult colouring book (sounds wierd but you know what i mean!) but when i looked at those the patterns are too intricate and i think she would struggle due to loss of dexterity.