How good are you at sorting out your life's belongings and how do you decide what to throw away?

The one thing I would advise people to do is if you are sorting out old photos, you actually only keep the ones where you know the people in them. When my dad died, we found hundreds of photo's, part of the problem was we hadn't a clue who some of the people were, they were taken when my mum and dad were courting, and as my dad was 85 when he died they were really old. Sadly we had to tip most of them because they were really nobody we knew of, and sadly nobody in the family to ask, all dearly departed.
If we have photo's now I make sure that the names of people are on the back, I sorted out 3 separate photo albums during Covid for my 3 children and made sure that names were included on the page.
I read with trepidation the posts on this subject, as it's something we will have to do sooner or later !!

magshard20

The one thing I would advise people to do is if you are sorting out old photos, you actually only keep the ones where you know the people in them. When my dad died, we found hundreds of photo's, part of the problem was we hadn't a clue who some of the people were, they were taken when my mum and dad were courting, and as my dad was 85 when he died they were really old. Sadly we had to tip most of them because they were really nobody we knew of, and sadly nobody in the family to ask, all dearly departed.
If we have photo's now I make sure that the names of people are on the back, I sorted out 3 separate photo albums during Covid for my 3 children and made sure that names were included on the page.
I read with trepidation the posts on this subject, as it's something we will have to do sooner or later !!

I would say don't get rid of old photos unless you have to or they are of poor quality.

If anyone researching family history will know, old photos can be researched too and there might be someone in the family who knows who these people are.

I have a folder called Who Are We and I've found out who some of them are and about their interesting lives when doing genealogical research.

Callistemon I couldn't agree more. I had a photo of a family member(?) in a photo album. A formal photo of a young man in dress military uniform (equivalent of formal wear, like a DJ), c 1890-1920 and no indication who he was.

Then during the commemorations of WW1, and I found a letter from an unknown young man to my grandfather who was the same age and both serving in the army, he wrote like a close friend or family member and signed his name, which was not a family name.

Then I was contacted by someone who asked me to help him him in some research and I asked him if he could help me. My grandfather was Irish and their records can be sparse - and he was an Irish scholar and he came back with a complete family tree.

This man was my grandfather' adopted brother, taken into the family when his parents died. I then made the link between the letter and the photograph and was able to analyse the badges and emblems on the collar of his uniform and compare them with the badges that would be on the uniform of the regiment he served in - and they were identical - and I had an identification of a young soldier killed in France in 1915.

I have since visited his grave near Rouen.

That's really interesting, M0nica

When I was researching family history I discovered npmy grandmother had an informally adopted brother. He kept his own surname. My grandmother died when I was about 4 and none of her children ever mentioned him. He was a popular man locally, did wel, for himself and coincidentally, one of his daughters taught both me and my cousin but we had no idea of the connection.

I would definitely agree with keeping old photos of people unless they are very poor quality. There is a very good chance of making contact with someone who can identify them.
I have this beautiful, large, hard back picture and am still hoping to find someone who wants it. It's a double wedding of a brother and sister in Llangollen in 1901. Unfortunately neither couple have any biological descendants. One couple went to New Zealand and I have even searched there. But I can't throw it out in case one day someone identifies someone and says 'that's my grandmother!'

Yes, it seems a great pity to throw them out.

Are you on Ancestry, Chestnut? If so, you could post it on there and someone might recognise them.

I've found photos of DH's family on genealogical sites, some on other websites from when they emigrated.

I'll message you Callistemon because we've hi-jacked this thread! Sorry everyone.