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POSTCARDS AND GENEALOGY

Postcards And Genealogy

For ancestors who lived during the 20th century, postcards are a delightful way to learn more about their lives and communities. Picture postcards were very popular worldwide by the dawn of the 20th century due to their novelty and the fact that postage was cheap. From automobiles to street scenes and hairstyles to people, postcards provide intriguing glimpses into the past.

If you are lucky enough to have postcards sent or received by your ancestors you may learn unknown information about the family, gain handwriting samples and even find addresses to help you track family movements and history. Even if you aren't fortunate enough to have access to a family postcard collection, you can often find postcards depicting your ancestor's hometown, clothing styles of the time period, types of employment etc. A good place to start is with the local historical society or library in the area in which your ancestor lived or at local antique stores. Many postcard collections are also beginning to spring up on the internet. Look to postcards as a wonderful alternative to photographs for illuminating the lives of your ancestors and of days gone by.

Turning yesterdays mail Into genealogy treasures is becoming a sought after collection!
How awesome would it be to find a hand written letter from a grandparent forty years after they have passed away. Think about the anticipation at your family reunion when you and all your relatives open the letters your ancestors wrote one hundred years earlier. That would be incredible information and exciting too. Did your ancestor write down and pass on stories that were otherwise lost or distorted by failing memories and word-of-mouth recollections? The written word survives long beyond man's ability to recall. Imagine the enjoyment you will get learning thoughts and wisdom of someone you never got the chance to know as a child. Heart warming to say the least. Your ancestors words are the most precious gift of all especially for a surviving loved one or generations yet to come.

These postcards and letters also provide wonderful factual information that is helpful to your genealogy research. You won't have to go into the daunting task blindsighted. On the items it's possible to find dates and places of important events, names of other family members, and of course addresses. Postcards play an important part in everyone's genealogy if only from the standpoint of America or the immigration of our ancestors. There is a place in all of us that wants to know our roots so to speak and postcard genealogy is one of the many ways to bring our ancestors back to life.