Long before the advent of ebooks your family members and ancestors had shelves full of tangible clues about their personalities and their environments. For the third installment of October’s Family History Month, I am sharing four personal stories with you. They illustrate different ways to make discoveries about your relatives in a place you never thought to look!
In this series we have discovered different ways to find family clues while Archiving Artwork as well as Archiving Objects. Those same benefits can be discovered in books, if you know where to look and how to build upon the clues.
It’s my opinion that one rarely possesses a book that doesn’t interest them, speak to them, one that doesn’t reflect a part of their life or the life they’d like to live. It’s my hope that the following four stories will help you look at books you may have inherited in a whole new way.
We’ll start by taking a look at the kinds of clues that can be discovered, then how to piece them together to start forming stories of your ancestors. Finally I’ll provide some tips and equipment links.
Finding The Clues
Let’s take a closer look at the clues you can uncover with a little examination and context.- Original Owner – It was quite common for people to write their names on the inside cover of books they owned.
- Look for inscriptions or stickers as to who’s library it was originally part of.
- Date – This can be a handwritten date for the year they bought it, a date on a newspaper clipping used as a book mark, the publication date of the book itself.
- All are time frame clues that when combined with other clues help build a timeline for your ancestor.
- Location – Is there a ‘If found please return to’ sticker inside? A stamp from a local library or bookstore?
- Both are clues to where the owner may lived or visited when the book was acquired.
- Other Names & Relations – Is there an inscription from the person who gifted the book? How does that person fit into your relative’s life?
- If it’s a family Bible, be sure to look through the entire book. Often family charts are in the center or back of the book. These are generally a haven for information.
- When examining family Bible entries, pay close attention to the handwriting. If the entries are made with different pens or with different handwriting, the information is entered over time and is often more reliable. Information entered all at once might be from memory and possibly require another layer of validation.
- If it’s a family Bible, be sure to look through the entire book. Often family charts are in the center or back of the book. These are generally a haven for information.
- Book Topic – What is the subject of interest and why?
- Is the topic career, education, or hobby related?
- Does it speak to emotional states such as romantic or fantasy novels?
- Highlights and Markings – No matter the topic of the book, any specific areas that have been identified tell you more about the relevance to your ancestor.
- Are there pages with turned corners?
- Notations made in the margins?
- Traditional Book Marks – These provide clues too!
- Is it a religious bookmark? A funny cat picture?
- What is the personality of something they chose to purchase and use?
- Perhaps it’s a bookmark or receipt from the store it was purchased from?
- Loose Items – Examine anything that’s been stuck between the pages; look for these clues there as well.
- Ask yourself why these things made it into the book?
- Were they just handy, or is there another clue?
Combining Clues To Find The Stories
Each of these clues are valuable by themselves but once connected, the value increases exponentially. These four personal stories are examples of how I am using these clues to make discoveries about my family.Discovering Social Circles
My father had Osteomyelitis, a bone-deteriorating disease. He had his first joint replacement at the young age of 4, starting a long line of hospital stays throughout his life. Back then, there were no PlayStations or cell phones to occupy his time (or that of his sister who lived in the waiting room). This led to a large collection of well-used books. What I learned from this collection wasn’t really about the books themselves but who had gifted them.
The people that surround you help craft your life. They teach you things, care for you, expose you to different parts of the world through their own habits and careers. By piecing together the people that surrounded your relatives, their environment begins to take shape.
Being a young child, these names related more to his parent’s circle of friends than his. I am now able to add dates and names from the entire collection and eventually research their connection to my family. His father was adopted, perhaps one day these names will help me solve that mystery.
Origin of a Life Long Passion
As my father was handicapped, he didn’t participate in many sports. Being physically limited did not inhibit his exploration of the world and improvement of the mind. One of his great passions was flying. Growing up we were part of an airplane club. Several families formed a group and bought a little four-seat Cessna airplane. Some of my best childhood memories were of flying places with our family. It wasn’t until I discovered this book that I learned the origin of his passion for flight.
Upon first look, the handwriting is my mother’s, dated Christmas 1969, and full of marked pages!
I asked Mom what Dad’s interest was in military planes, this is a summary of what I discovered:
“Due to my father’s time spent in hospitals, he missed too many school days to graduate with his class. To complete the requirements he went to Sierra Nevada Junior College for summer courses. Physical education classes had to be completed in person, and due to his absences, he lacked one of the credits. The teacher quickly realized that Dad wasn’t going to pass the physical exams so she assigned him to equipment duty. This assignment led to a lot of conversation time between the two.
It turns out that the teacher was a female pilot! During WWII women were not permitted to fly in combat so instead they ferried the planes from base to base. Her love of flying was infectious and she eventually became his instructor.
It’s my understanding that Dad received his pilots license before he received his drivers license! This particular part of his life story intrigues me and leaves me hungry to find more information. Did she teach him for free? If not, how did his single mother pay for it? Does her family have any photos of my father in the cockpit at such a young age?
Stories of a Hidden Talent
From a childs quiet bedroom to the streets of Hollywood
This particular book had no owner’s name, just a date and an inscription.
“February 28, 1979
To put the correct “lingo” in my stories.”
While posing some ‘who did this belong to?’ questions to my family, my Aunt identified it as hers. This began a conversation with stories I had yet to hear!
“She began with the origin of writing stories… As the youngest of three and the last to remain at home, she had to find things to do by herself. In the afternoons, her mom would lie down for a nap, and absolute quiet had to be observed. She loved westerns, and her mind swarmed with stories, so she wrote every day. As she grew older, her stories matured as well.”
I knew that my aunt had lived in Los Angeles for many years, working at film studios, but I had no idea of her interest in writing. She told me tales of getting people to read her scripts, discussing possible productions, and how a woman in the industry was treated. From this one book, a conversation was sparked, and I learned of not only a hidden talent but also dreams, adventures, and a taste of social norms circa 1970/80.
Bookmarking a Life’s Journey
How one life can have many chapters
The largest collection of books in my archive belonged to my mother. The table next to her chair always had several books on the shelves. Atop the table was a cup of coffee, a handful of Worthers Original candies, and a nail file. The things you remember are funny, but it was even more entertaining when I found several of those candy wrappers being used as bookmarks! On the inside of each book cover, Mom wrote her name and the date she began reading it. As I digitized the collection, I placed them on shelves in date order… what I began to see was a timeline of the things that interested her. As the topics changed over the years, I knew there had to be things happening in her life that correlated with them. By analyzing the time frame of each topic, I began to get an understanding of how my mother’s life evolved.
Mid 1970's
1977
1984
January 1997
January 2008
- Mid 1970’s – Landscaping and Gardening books
- She and Dad spent several years, with hammer in hand, building the house I’d be raised in. Everything with them was “Do It Yourself”. Her mother had instilled a love of gardening in her, so my entire childhood was spent helping her trim, plant, and maintain the gardens she had created. I’m pretty sure I was the only toddler who knew how to fix broken yard sprinklers!
- Late 1970’s – American History, mainly the journey to settle the West Coast
- As with most people, raising children sparks an interest in legacy and family history. Mom joined in on her mother’s passion for true genealogical research. To better understand the lives of her relatives, she seemed to have read every book written about settling the west!
- 1980’s – Biographies on anyone from NFL players to Politicians
- We were in the middle of our school years, and my parents’ circle of friends adjusted as it normally would. Football watch parties brought together a wide range of people with different lives (but the passion for watching ‘Refrigerator Perry’ command respect on the NFL field was passionately shared)! She began reading books written about anyone’s journey through life. Athletes, politicians, tycoons, authors, anyone that made an impact on their sliver of the world.
- Mid 1990’s – Colonial South to the Civil War
- In the early 90’s, I left California for the University of Alabama. Southern culture and history was not something we knew much about. Mom wanted to know more! The books collected during these years covered everything from the founding of colonies to Civil War battles, stories of the time and the people.
- 2000’s – European History
- In Mom’s younger years she had given a child up for adoption. Right after the turn of the century, he found her, and they began learning all about each other. She eventually went to visit him in the UK, where he had been living for years. He is an author and a historian who would take her on tours and regale her with tales from a time before our young America was born. Each visit she returned with a new suitcase full of books to read, she wanted to understand his passion and the world he was showing her.
Photographing The Books
Your photos of each book should always serve a specific purpose, guiding your approach and ensuring the best results for your end-use. Reasons for documenting books:- To show what interests your family member had
- To discover names, addresses, and dates
- To preserve the entire content of the book
1. Cover Angles
- Front Cover: A straight-on shot to clearly show the title and cover design.
- Back Cover: Capture any relevant information, such as summaries, author bios, or barcodes.
- Spine: A side shot highlighting the title and any distinguishing features.
- Publication Information: Focus on specific sections that contain copyright, publisher, ISBN numbers, author, and illustrator information,
- Open Pages: Photograph the book open to show layout, typography, and illustrations.
- Try different spreads to highlight unique features.
- Textured Shots: Capture the texture of the cover (e.g., embossed lettering, fabric).
- Close-Ups of Text: Focus on key passages, quotes, or sections that are relevant to your needs.
- Illustrations/Diagrams: Close-ups of any significant artwork or diagrams.
- Footnotes/Endnotes: Close-ups of these sections can be crucial for citation and reference.
- Unique Features: Any special elements like bookmarks, signatures, or annotations.
- Index or Table of Contents: Photograph these pages for easy reference to specific topics within the book.
- Use Book Cradles: If you have a fragile book, these help protect the integrity by not over extending the spine and holding the book still while you gently turn the pages.
- Prop Up The Cover: To protect the binding as well as ensure a level photograph, place something under the open cover to keep it level with the interior portion of the book.
- Natural Lighting: If you do not have a proper lighting kit, use natural light to avoid glare and ensure color accuracy.
Photography and Scanning Equipment
For my personal collections, the photographs are to document the topics, dates, owners, and any information that will add to my family research. I generally just use my Cannon camera or iPhone for these images.
When I am digitizing for an archive or have the need to digitize all of the interior pages, I use the following equipment:
Camera Scanning Copy Stands
I personally use the Kaiser RS1 copy stand with the quick release plate for my camera. There are several versions of copy stands that offer different features and price points. A great resource for learning more about this equipment is by the digitizing guru Peter Krogh, The Digital Asset Manager.
CZUR Document and Book scanner
This is a great handsfree set-up for scanning interior pages of books. Once you set the book in frame, you simply turn the pages and click. It's fast and has features like auto-flatten, deskew and OCR. Keep in mind that this product gives you great digital scans of the pages, it is not a photograph so you loose some of the color and texture of vintage books. I do not use this system for archiving books that I want to capture the patina of but there's always the option of doing both for content and texture!
Cuttable Polyurethane Foam Sheets
Polyurethane sheets are great for creating your own book cover supports. These are 1" thick and can be stacked to support thicker books. You can find sheets in different thicknesses but this is a great starting point. I cut them into different size squares and arrange them to support various size books while staying hidden underneath and out of my photograph.
Kaiser Book Holder
This is the Cadillac of book holders! It comes with 8 preformed foam blocks to support the front and back covers as you move through digitizing the pages. It also has a glass pressure plate to flatten the pages. This process is a bit more time consuming but it allows you to photograph the pages, capturing the patina and quality of the publication.
* All links provided in this article are strictly informational. We are not affiliates of any represented businesses and receive no funds from purchases.
October is Family History Month
To celebrate Family History Month, we will be providing tips on archiving your family’s photos and artifacts.
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Everything has a story; when connected together, the book begins to take shape.
Read on to learn how Archoral Collections can help you organize, capture, and share the story of your family!
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