Ancestry Magazine

One approach to finding illustrations is to look for anything existing today that was associated with the ancestor. A photograph of the gun or drafting tools he would have used could give the reader a feel for his life.

Anyone who has written a family history has the fear that although the book is a great, well-documented biography of their ancestor, it will sit on library shelves and never be read. One way to get people interested in a family history is to include illustrations.

When writing about someone who lived recently, the job of illustrating a history is a matter of sorting through the boxes of photographs to find pictures that best tell the story. A different problem comes when the biography is about someone who lived long ago, and no photographs or drawings of him or her have been found.

One approach to finding illustrations is to look for anything existing today that was associated with the ancestor. Have any artifacts that belonged to the individual survived? A photograph of the gun or drafting tools he would have used could give the reader a feel for his life. Is any building associated with the ancestor still standing? Maybe her home was torn down to build a shopping mall, but the school or church she attended is still standing. Even if the building has been remodeled, a photograph could show enough of the original structure to give a feel for what it may have been like all those years ago. If no photograph of the ancestral home can be found, perhaps a picture of other homes from the same area can be located in the files of a local historical society or published in a county history. University libraries and archives are also excellent sources.

If no artifacts or buildings survive, pictures of items that were typical of the time make excellent substitutes. For example, if the probate inventory of an ancestor mentions a cast-iron cooking stove, a picture from the Sears-Roebuck catalog from the same era could be used.

Newspapers and magazines from the time make great illustrations. An advertisement for clothing or groceries gives an idea of what was popular and what prices of the day were. Headlines reveal the political climate of the day. Announcements of plays, concerts, and lectures can show what the ancestor may have enjoyed for entertainment.

Knowing an ancestor’s profession can lead to new possibilities for illustrations. If he raised potatoes in Idaho in 1910, the Idaho State Historical Society will have photographs of early potato farming. Even if the pictures are not of his farm, they will give the book a feel for what his life was like.

Maps can also add a lot to a family history. Plat maps show the owners of each piece of land. A plat map in a biography could show the ancestor’s farm and those of other nearby relatives or friends. Many county historical societies have preserved such maps.

City directories are good sources for historical urban maps. They also give the ancestor’s home and business addresses. A letter to a Chamber of Commerce could yield a map of the city as it is today. Some writers take a map of the city, scan the image into their computer, and mark it to show where the ancestor lived and where his business was located. The addresses of other relatives or places of important events could be noted as well.

Documents associated with the family can be us ed in a biography. Besides birth, marriage, and death certificates, there are records of religious ceremonies, military pensions, wills, diaries, and letters. Original signatures can be found on many of these papers.

Whenever a document is written by hand, it may be easier to read if it is transcribed, and it is a big temptation to correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation when doing so. But editing a letter can mean losing a sense of the ancestor’s personality. A true historian transcribes a document exactly as it was originally written.

The Internet can also be a source of pictures. Antique postcards are a hot item on Internet auction sites such as eBay. Many show scenes from small towns all over the United States. The U.S.GenWeb project is another good place to locate old photographs. Each state in the United States and each county in each state have websites devoted to genealogy. Many sites have places where photographs have been posted or where you can post a query. Similar websites for other countries are found at WorldGenWeb.org.

Remember that not everything on the Internet is free for the taking. The person who posted the picture should be sent an e-mail asking permission to include it in the life history. Even family photographs are protected by copyright. When using illustrations other than your own family photographs, it is necessary to cite where the photo came from. If it came from a book, the full bibliographical source should be cited in the family history. If the book is still under copyright, the author or publisher should be contacted for permission to use the illustration. If the picture is taken from the collection of a library or an archive, that organization will need to know how the picture will be used, and may require a fee to publish it.

Because websites change, the citation for an Internet source should include the URL and the date it was accessed. Most organizations and individuals will be glad to allow publication, especially if you include “used by permission of “” in the credit line.

Well-illustrated family histories are not only more fun to read, they also give a more complete picture of your ancestor and his or her life. They will add just the right ingredient to intrigue even your least interested family member.

Loretta Evans, AG, specializes in the Midwestern United States. She is a freelance writer and lecturer with more than thirty years of research experience. Loretta serves as Public Relations Committee Chairman for the International Commission for the Accreditation of Genealogists.