I have always loved hearing family stories. My memories as a child are sitting quietly in a corner listening to the adults tell their stories and wishing I had stories to tell. In my early adulthood, Genealogy became a passion for me. As I researched each ancestor, they became real to me. Their stories unfolding with each document I discovered.
As my great grandparents and then my grandparents passed away, their photo collections came to live at my parents’ house. A treasure trove! (at least in my opinion). I purchased a small photo scanner for my dad and he began to scan these wonderful “windows into the past”. I found that when they looked at the pictures, he and my mom began to tell stories. For example, a non-descript picture of house, soon became known to me as the home of my paternal great grandparents in Arkansas. A place my dad enjoyed visiting.
So far, I have shared photos with my mom that she has not seen in a very long time. Looking at these brings back memories and she is able to share those stories with me. Also, I have found pictures of me as a baby/toddler (I was a beautiful child!) and pictures of my siblings as babies/toddlers. Showing my siblings their pictures and telling them their stories brings so much joy to me.
My hope is to help others preserve printed photos and protect them. Here in Texas there are weather threats (tornados, hurricanes, flooding, etc.) as well as the threat of a house fire. Additionally, pictures in boxes degrade over time and can be difficult to retrieve and view. Once digitized and a proper backup system put into place, the risk to your family photos becomes less. They will be easier to view and share with family and friends.
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