Community Chat

[SeaMaiden]

I am in the same situation.

Rather than throw them away, I will bury them in a container( like a casket I guess)...deep in a hole in my yard...maybe many many years from now Someone will find them.  I will put a note in with them explaining who I was and some history on the. Pictures.  Better than just throwing away

[SharkE]

I throw mine away whose gonna give a rip when your dead they will burn or throw in trash bin.  Save somebody else the work of having to clean up.

[beckyb1012]

It breaks my heart at the thought of no one wanting the old family photos.  I have photos of my grandfather taken back at the turn of the last century young enough to still be in diapers.  Mom gave me hers but I know my son will not want any of them.  Just before Christmas last year my Aunt gave me some photos from late brother's home.  I did not clean his home out when he took his life, she did.  On Christmas Day afternoon I sat down and went through them all and there were so many photos I had never seen before.  I cried, I laughed, and I missed him terribly.  Those too will be thrown out when I join my family above.  I am not throwing out any myself, ever.  

[TheMemphisVette]

sell them

a search on ebay shows sold lots @ $10 - $60

put in search bar   lot of old photos

example

you have 500 photos

list lots of 50 @ $30  each

[ECBG]

@FiddleDeeDee 

I am so very sorry all of that precious information has been thrown out by that woman!  She could have offered the research to family members.  My goodness!

Some people's lack of consideration and care is unbelievable!!!

[sabatini]

You've got to be ruthless with stuff like that.

Don't know who the people are, pic is blurry or faded or holds zero sentimentality for you? Toss them and don't look back.

[ECBG]

@Biftu 

Do you have any family members to offer the information and pictures to?  A library might be interested in them.

[RedTop]

@Biftu 

Please DO NOT throw these photos away!   Donate them to a local historical society or perhaps a library with a genealogy section.  These places receive frequent visitors every year who are looking to make family connections.  

Even if you don't know who the people are in the pictures, but think it might be from a specific side of your family, you can tape or write something on the back that might possibly help someone who is searching their lineage.   A note similar to "unknown member of Abe Lincoln family, of X town and state, can be a lead for someone trying to find a connection.  

A simple picture of my grandparents led a cousin on the west coast to find her parents roots on the east coast.  She found my grandparents picture in her mothers things, came to the historical society office in my county, found the names of my grandparents, and came to visit.   

Your pictures might mean nothing to you, but those images will be a delight to someone searching for relatives.

[ThinkingOutLoud]

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@Biftu wrote:

i have many old photos from the 1930s, etc. that were handed down from my deceased parents.  Most are professionally done and wooden or cardboard framed.  Many are wedding pictures.  Beautifully done.  While I know who some of the people in the photos are, some I have no idea.  There are also albums with pictures of people long gone.  I feel I should keep pictures and albums of my parents and myself and my father's pictures when he was in Iwo Jima and Hawaii during World War II even though I never look at them.  Nobody would want these pictures.  They have been sitting in drawers for years.  I'm trying to get rid of unnecessary things cluttering my life.  

Don't know why I'm struggling with throwing them in the trash, but I do.  How is do you feel about throwing away photos from the past?  

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Haven't read the replies but my first reaction is that you're hesitant because throwing them out isn't the right choice. Scan them and upload them to ancestry dot com or another similiar site. You never know who might be very grateful you did. You could also call your local genealogical society who might provide a solution.

[Trinity11]

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@ECBG wrote:

@Biftu 

Do you have any family members to offer the information and pictures to?  A library might be interested in them.

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Very good suggestion @ECBG . One of my cousins had a portrait of my mom in color from 1938 that his mom (my aunt) had in her possessions after she passed. My mom was the image back then of a famous actress. I cherish it as it captured how I remember her looking when I was a small child.💕