Madness Monday: Where are the photos?

After my grandparents passed away my mom and her four siblings were left in charge of cleaning my grandparents' house...deciding which items were worth saving, selling, giving away, and trashing.

I was only in 7th grade at the time, but I remember getting my grandma's gold chain with a gold "M" initial, as I was the only one in the family with an "M" name, and a white stuffed bear my grandma kept in her spare bedroom.  I also remember a lot of fighting over who gets what item.

Other items were split between my mom and her siblings.  Some of the more valuable items, like my grandparent's record collection containing Frank Sinatra and other 50's and 60's music stars were given to my uncle for safe keeping and eventual selling.  My mom received my grandma's Precious Moments navity set, and my aunt received the remaining Precious Moments statues that my grandma had collected.  Christmas decorations (a BIG deal in my family), jewelry, pots and pans, and other items were split between each sibling.  Each of the siblings also received their baby books that grandma had put together for them when they were born.  But what happened to the rest of the family photos?!

No one inquired about the photos until I did, almost twelve years after my grandparents' deaths.  My mom and her siblings had planned on going through the photos and splitting up the photos between the five of them.  Somehow, life got in the way and the pictures were never looked at, and they forgot who received the photos for safe keeping.  (So safe they can't even find them....)

My aunt, the oldest, thought she had the photos, but after going through her attic, basement, and spare bedroom determined she didn't have them.  My mom and I searched the basement, crawl space, and picture boxes and albums and couldn't find them.  My uncle in Florida didn't have them, and my mom's other sister didn't have them.  So that leaves, my other uncle, who we *hope* has them.

The unfortunate thing is I seem to be the only person interested in finding the photos.

With digital technology available, I offered to scan the photos and make a CD for each sibling, so they wouldn't have to "split up the pictures".  But....that requires my aunts and uncles to find the photos.

Other than a few emails, reminders, and phone calls, I don't know how to find these pictures.  I can't search their houses for the pictures, and I haven't quite sparked their interest in finding the pictures.  The pictures are supposed to include pictures of both my grandparents as children and their respective families.  Pictures of family members I have never seen.  

Any suggestions?!

More Sources of Background Research: Yearbooks, Gravestones, Heirlooms, and more

Today's post on Jen's Family History Research Tips Blog  is entitled, Background Information Research.  Jen describes some great sources for background research including newspaper articles, search engines, and books.  Jen asks for other sources used for background research, so here's the sources I've used (I've excluded the items Jen describes so well in her blog)

Other sources I've used for background research include:

1) Yearbooks (found at the library in the city/county of your ancestor, online, or even on ebay)  I found a great picture of Brenden's father in his yearbook online.  It also had his senior year quote, which provided some further insight

2) City/County History Centers--The Iroquois County Historical Society has a biography on two of my Ruebensam ancestors on its website.  I haven't seen the biographies in print anywhere else

3) Family photographs--not just looking at the people, but their outfits, cars, houses, etc.  Tells you a little bit for about the family than just what they looked like

4) Gravestones---I found out that Brenden's great grandfather was a freemason by the symbol on his gravestone.  Brenden's great grandmother has the Order of the Eastern Star symbol on her grave.  You may find other fraternal organization symbols or other symbols that may tell you about your family's background.  Not just symbols, but military participation as well.  Through a gravestone, I found out my ancestor fought in World War II.  I hadn't found a record on ancestry for him, but found it on his gravestone

5) Religious Organizations/Churches---Brenden's family is a lot more religious than mine is, and I've been able to find old church newsletters that have pictures of the family (more recent newsletters) and stories about how the family participated in a community event. 

6) Family Scrapbooks---I haven't been luck enough to find such a resource, but as the family historian for my family, I've started the scrapbook and hope it will passed on through many generations.

7) Obituaries--I've found out so much about my ancestors just by reading their obituaries 

8) Family Heirlooms--What has been passed down from generation to generation?  Obviously the item was important enough to be passed on.  What relevance did the item have to the family and their way of life?  My favorite heirloom is my grandmother's gold chain that has her first initial "M".  As I was the only person in the family with a first name starting with "M", I received the chain after she passed away.  We also have costume jewelry from my great grandmother, as she was a seamstress for some of the silent films

I'm sure there are more items I'm forgetting at this moment, but these are my top 8.  Do you have any additions to the list?