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In December of last year I was contacted by a writer for GEO Magazine, a German-language educational magazine, not unlike National Geographic. He had stumbled across this blog and found it intriguing enough to want to share the project with readers in Europe.
In their March issue, the article was published. I will share it here with you, translated from German:
TRACKING DOWN FAMILY PHOTOS
American Kathleen Irwin, 55, bought 575 old photos from peddlars over the past 30 years. With her blog she wants to unite the people in the pictures with their living family.
Kathleen Irwin did not let go of the first photo. Who was the woman on it? And why was the picture with the antiquarian and not in a family album? Irwin began to explore the biographies of people on old photos - and to contact their descendants. You can read the stories on the blog "Old Photos Found".
GEO: How did you come to research the story of strangers?
K: 30 years ago, I bought an old photograph, of a nameless woman from about 1890 with a high lace collar and pinned-up hairstyle. I looked at her every day and wondered who she had been. I felt it was a tragedy that she had become anonymous. It was not until about a decade later it occurred to me that it should be possible to reunite such photos with their family.
K: 30 years ago, I bought an old photograph, of a nameless woman from about 1890 with a high lace collar and pinned-up hairstyle. I looked at her every day and wondered who she had been. I felt it was a tragedy that she had become anonymous. It was not until about a decade later it occurred to me that it should be possible to reunite such photos with their family.
How do you go about it, how do you do research?
My husband and I travel a lot for work. And we love antique shops. I try to bring home at least one old photo from every trip. However, I can only research a corresponding pedigree if a name is on the photo. Important for me are specialized websites for genealogy research. Many families also are recorded in newspaper archives and census documents.
My husband and I travel a lot for work. And we love antique shops. I try to bring home at least one old photo from every trip. However, I can only research a corresponding pedigree if a name is on the photo. Important for me are specialized websites for genealogy research. Many families also are recorded in newspaper archives and census documents.
Do you see yourself as a benefactor or as a detective?
Definitely as a private investigator! I just want to experience everything that can be found out about a person.
Definitely as a private investigator! I just want to experience everything that can be found out about a person.
Do you remember a research that has been particularly memorable?
Yes, I found one of my favorite photos in a thrift shop in upstate New York - a photo from 1895 of a charming young man named James Carroll. At first, I only bought it because it was such a beautiful portrait that I'd like to keep forever. But when I discovered Carroll's name on the back, it was clear that I must start looking for his family. I researched and found out, for example, that his father was a physician who was instrumental in fighting the spread of yellow fever. In the end, I found his family on the internet, and returned the photograph to them.
Yes, I found one of my favorite photos in a thrift shop in upstate New York - a photo from 1895 of a charming young man named James Carroll. At first, I only bought it because it was such a beautiful portrait that I'd like to keep forever. But when I discovered Carroll's name on the back, it was clear that I must start looking for his family. I researched and found out, for example, that his father was a physician who was instrumental in fighting the spread of yellow fever. In the end, I found his family on the internet, and returned the photograph to them.
How do members respond when they contact you?
Often they write letters to me, sometimes they also attach a check to compensate me for my efforts. But the real reward for me is the sincere words of thanks - or, for example, reports about how much the person on the photo resembles a living family member.
Often they write letters to me, sometimes they also attach a check to compensate me for my efforts. But the real reward for me is the sincere words of thanks - or, for example, reports about how much the person on the photo resembles a living family member.
How well do you know your own family history?
Pretty good. My father has roots in French and Canadian, from which I descend from eleven "Filles du Roi" - young European women whose emigration to North America was financed in the 17th century by the French King Louis XIV. On the maternal side, I descend from family of Pocahontas and William the Conqueror.
Pretty good. My father has roots in French and Canadian, from which I descend from eleven "Filles du Roi" - young European women whose emigration to North America was financed in the 17th century by the French King Louis XIV. On the maternal side, I descend from family of Pocahontas and William the Conqueror.
Part of the photograph collection
