Why did people in those old photo look so sour?

 

Why did our ancestors look so sour and sad in those old black and white photos? Even on a happy occasion, they were seldom shown smiling. How come? The "Ask Marilyn" in Sunday's Parade magazine furnished one answer:  Perhaps it was because it was harder to hold a smile for the long exposure needed. Perhaps they didn't want to reveal their bad teeth (especially in older folks). But most likely, Marilyn states, for the average person in those long-ago days, having their photo taken professionally might only happen once in their lives and a more formal picture reflected the "gravitas" of the occasion. 

And have you notice that little children often are seen as a blur? That's because they wiggled. 

June is the month for weddings, today as in days of yore.

This is a favorite photo of my maternal grandparents in as near-as-I-know their wedding photo. George Louis Gurney was in the U.S. Navy, stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Training Facility (in Michigan), preparing for World War I. Lucky for me, the war ended before his training did; he never served. He married Clara Magdalen Joseph in 1918. The purpose of this post is that sometimes our ancestors just got married; they had no "big deal" with special clothes, parties or ceremonies. 

Do you have a photo of your grandparent's wedding? What were they wearing?

Will your family keepsakes end up like this??

My doggers and I enjoy taking walks along our Spokane County road. While I too often carry a bag to pick up trash, I did once find a $20 bill. Score!

Imagine my horror, dismay and tears to find this lying with other trash spilling out of a black plastic bag in the gravel. 

Of course you're thinking, "well this won't happen to MY stuff!" Or will it???

Giving precious heirlooms to an unappreciative son or niece might just guarantee your memento or photo to end up at best in the Goodwill or at worst, alongside the road. 

Vendor Spotlight: Creative Memories

Melode Hall of Creative Memories will be hosting a vendor table at the Washington State Genealogical Society's 2009 state conference at The Davenport Hotel in Spokane this coming weekend.

Creative Memories is dedicated to preserving the stories of a lifetime in a way that brings people together to socialize, have fun and create their own masterpieces. Over the last 20 years they've earned the trust of people in nine countries around the world by helping them protect and celebrate their stories.

Not only is Melode a Creative Memories consultant, she is a member of the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society and thus understands the importance of preserving one's heritage. If you're looking for quality archival supplies to protect and display your heritage and modern photographs and to enhance your family stories and traditions, you'll want to be sure to stop by and chat with Melode about your options.

Click on the link below to register.

Online Registration
(need help with the online registration? read our tutorial here)

Brochure and Saturday Schedule
(to help you choose your classes and activities)

Mail-in Registration Form
(for those who prefer registering offline - or you may prefer to fill out and use this form to register in person at the conference to ensure your registration is received before the conference begins)

If you are interested in being a vendor at the Washington State Genealogical Society's 2009 State Conference, would like to advertise in our syllabus, or if you have an item or service which you would like to donate as a door or raffle prize, please contact Miriam Robbins Midkiff.

Photos Added to Tri-Cities Genealogical Society's Website

Recently the Tri-City (Washington) Genealogical Society added a significant information about photos of people or the Tri-Cities area (Richland and Kennewick in Benton County; Pasco in Franklin County) to their website. Check out the new and newly expanded offerings:

• The Hanford Site Historical Photo Gallery contains photos about the Hanford site supplied by the US Department of Energy.
• The Richland Police History and Photo Gallery contains a history and photos for the Richland Police Department. The page is very long and because of the pictures loads slowly even over DSL connections. Please be patient.
• The Marlin's Photo Indexing Project being done by TCGS now contains over 29,000 names tied to photos from 1952 through 1974. This list includes over 15,000 unique names.