Holiday Photos and Caption Clues

Every Fall I start mumbling about the “highway to the holidays,” that hectic time of year that consumes any leftover moments of the day with preparations. The rituals, cooking, and cleaning are part of the holiday season regardless of what event you celebrate and how many people are in attendance.  

This year is a different kind of year for all of us. A once in a century event. It doesn’t mean I’m not decorating or sharing cooking with family though.  I’ll be delivering confections to doorsteps instead of trying to find extra room at the table or setting up a second one.   

So what are the traditions in your family (and do you have photographs of them)?

A general search like “holiday history” turns up a few hits but if you want specific details look for material using a particular one using the name of the holiday, symbol, or food.  For instance, every Christmas my mother-in-law used to put out a little Santa Claus like figure called the Belsnickel. I discovered that he’s a Pennsylvania German character that traveled farm to farm on either December 6th or Christmas Eve. The Belsnickel could be a man or a woman, and it’s possible that Santa descends from this personality.  However, instead of a red suit and black shiny boots, the Belsnickel wore “rags, masks or cast-off clothing” and carried either a whip or sticks. A misbehaving child was as likely to be hit as receive a treat. His presence in my in-law’s house now makes a lot of sense. My father-in-law’s family lived in York County Pennsylvania in the early nineteenth century and had German roots.  This little guy is now part of my holiday decor and I love it 

Of course, if your family still remembers who began the holiday traditions and their geographic origins you won’t have to look online or visit the library, all you’ll need to do is sit around a family feast and share the memories. Record them for posterity using a camera to preserve this piece of your family history. 

What About Captions?

Let’s take a deep dive into Captions on photos.   If you’ve heard me lecture about photo identification then you know that I’ll caution you to make sure you verify the caption on the image.   Did you watch Genealogy QuickStart (link in show notes)?  We talked about the 4 points of captions:

• Who Wrote It
• Did They Know the Person in the Image
• How did they write it?
• Is it True?

Followed by If it’s not them then who? 

That’s where my signature 5 comes in: The who, what, where, when, and why of an image. It’s a series of questions that help you get to know your pictures better.  Who is it, what are they wearing, when was it taken, and if you’re lucky you might be able to figure out the why.

Hattie Lavinia Henry’s family not only labeled the front of her photo but wrote an extended family history including her parent’s names, who she married, and where her children and their spouses.   I bought this frame image at the Brimfield Antique Show two years ago. 

Let’s apply those Quick Start questions to this caption. 

Who wrote it?  That’s a mystery. Sometimes the person writing the caption included their name and a date for when they wrote it.  Not in this case. 

 Did they know the person in the image? It appears so, but whoever wrote it knew the month day, and year of Hattie’s first two children but not the year of birth for the rest.  

I'm thrilled to be offering something new. Photo investigations. These collaborative one-on-one sessions. Look at your family photos then you and I meet to discuss your mystery images. And find out how each clue and hint might contribute to your family history. Find out more by going to maureentaylor.com and clicking on family photo investigations. 

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