A lot of family photos today are digitital. Information such as the day, place, and individual can be easy to record on iphones, with Facebook, or during the download process. However, the same cannot be said for the old, tarnished photographs carefully handed down through generations. So what are some ways to organizes physical copies of old family photographs?

Make a Space

First, determine how many photographs you’ll be organizing. Then, make sure you have a space cleared big enough to compensate all the photographs. Once you’ve found your space, clean it of all grime, dust, or additional hazards that threaten to damage photos.

Select an Organization Method

To organize family photos, first pick a theme, whether it’s location, individual, or year that the photo was taken. Once your theme is selected, mark each level of organization on a note card. Not sure which method to pick? Date is a popular one because it allows the viewer to see how people and places change as time progresses.

Sorting Family Photos

Now comes the fun part. Alone, or with family and friends, take time to identify the location, person, or date of each photograph. Madam Ancestry shares on her blog how indexing family photos can be a great activity for the whole family with food and fun (just make sure not to spill crumbs on those photos!). Additionally, follow this link to see what Madam Ancestry learned from one of her indexing experiences. Be sure to watch the video at the end (or here), where Madam Ancestry shows examples of how to correctly or incorrectly index family photos!

Not Sure What the Details Are?

If you aren’t sure who are in the photos, or where they were taken at, it’s time to get the rest of your family involved! If you are unable to meet in person, share old family photos with family members via text, videochat, Facebook, or other avenues of social media. Though you may be unable to identify someone, chances are another member of your family will recognize the photo (and even have a fun story to share about it!). Once you have these details, make sure to record them, either on additional index cards, or the back of the original photo (just make sure to use pens that won’t bleed through the image, and are safe for photographs).

How do you choose to index your family photos?