Blog
Look-Alike Family Photos: These Relatives are 80 Years Apart
Do you have any look-alike family photos? Check out these uncanny resemblances–and more ideas for what to do with old family photos.
Recently I heard from Season. “Thought you might enjoy a photo of my 87-year old grandmother at age 18 and my daughter now age 7,” she wrote. They are 80 years apart–but they could be sisters (or even the same girl).
Season’s photo reminds me of a blog post I wrote last fall about a new app that uses facial recognition technology to see “how related” they think are people in two different photos. Check out that post and the look-alike photos there!
In recent months, lots of look-alike relative photos have appeared online. I like this article that shares several sets of photos submitted to Pinterest as part of a look-alike contest by MyHeritage.com. Here’s another link to some relative look-alikes among celebrity families, from daughters of Meryl Streep to brothers Luke and Owen Wilson.
What Else Can You Do with Family Photos? Gems to Consider
Use Facebook for Gathering Family History
Family History Photo Display with Mementos
New Resource for African American Family History
AmericanAncestors.org has created a new portal for African American family history research. Explore it for FREE in honor of Black History Month.
The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) has created a new portal for African American family history research on its website, AmericanAncestors.org. Highlights include a webinar and study guide on African American genealogy and articles on several important African American historical figures.
During Black History Month in February 2016, “Guests Users may access several African American databases free in order to get a sample of the variety of information to be found in the collection of African American resources at NEHGS. Among them is a large database Free Negro Heads of Families in the United States in 1830, a list compiled from the 1830 census and published in 1925. It contains the name, age range, family size, and county and state residence of 47,300 individuals in 27 states and one territory—a valuable source of records on free African Americans in that period.”
New England (and therefore a New England archive) is not the first place people typically think of for researching African-American ancestry. But NEGHS is home to many relevant published genealogies and local histories; Bible, cemetery, and court records; original manuscripts and rare documents as well as many online databases, states a press release.
Marriage records created by the Freedmans’ Bureau. Wikimedia Commons image; click to view.
More Gems on African American Family History
“We’re Cousins?” DNA Reveals Surprising Relationship
Citizens Creek by Lalita Tademy: Genealogy Gems Book Club Featured Title
New Video Tutorials on African American Family History in Freedmen’s Bureau Records
The priceless gift my daughter gave me at Rootstech – Heritage Jewelry
Did you know you can memorialize a loved one’s handwriting in a piece of custom jewelry? Check out this very special piece of heritage jewelry.
Last week I celebrated my birthday at RootsTech 2016. What a party! A highlight was an impromptu birthday serenade by the audience after my Think Tank lecture at the Genealogy Gems booth.
Something I’ll also never forget was receiving this birthday gift from my daughter Lacey. It’s a bracelet that says “Mother” in handwriting script. Lacey asked me, “do you recognize the handwriting?”
Recognize the handwriting? What did she mean? As I gave it a closer look, I did indeed recognize it. It was my beloved Grandma Burkett’s handwriting. I would know it anywhere.
My Grandma Burkett is so special to me. She loved me with all her heart and I always knew it. She also introduced me to family history, as I explain in the RootsTech video clip below.
Yes, I know that handwriting on my bracelet well, and it is a tender memory to wear it. Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve–this is like wearing my heart around my wrist.
Lacey says it was really easy to order this custom heirloom piece, and she loves it because “no one else will ever have the same one!” Here are Lacey’s tips for ordering something like it:
1. “Plan ahead, as most of the vendors who create these types of jewelry take at least 4 weeks. I used Monogrammed Necklaces, an Etsy.com vendor.
2. In the case of the bracelet, the handwriting piece was included in the total length of the bracelet, but the writing lays flat instead of curving with your wrist so it actually shortens the length of the chain. So I would suggest ordering an inch or two longer than you need.
3. Provide them with the actual word(s) you want written. If you have more than one word, they will be squished together to be one continuous piece. (You might be able to get them written on two lines, but again the top and bottom would be squished together.)
4. Read reviews before ordering. Make sure people aren’t saying the piece breaks easily or feels low-quality. Look at examples of the jewelry to get an idea of what kind of sample you want to select. I researched several vendors before picking this one. This one also came ready to go in a pretty box, which was a nice touch. They can also engrave pendants with handwriting, which is great if you want the words with spaces between or longer writings.”
This isn’t the first piece of jewelry I’ve worn in honor of Grandma Burkett. I’ve blogged in the past about turning one of her earrings into a ponytail holder, which is quite a conversation piece whenever I wear it. Click here to read that post.
Find more heritage jewelry, family history craft and display ideas on the Genealogy Gems Pinterest boards. Have you made or purchased something special yourself? We’d love to hear about it!
