The Importance of Location

Places change over time. While I am not necessarily an advocate of saving every landscape picture a genealogist has, there are times where saving the picture preserves an image of buildings and other improvements that may not be around in fifty or one hundred years.

Picture facing south taken across the road from where I grew up.
My archival image includes road address, GPS coordinates, approximately when picture was taken and which direction I was facing.

But when images of places are preserved, record information about precisely where the item was taken–at least with as much detail as you have. Include at least:

  • date of photo–or approximation
  • address of location at time photograph was taken if known and if there was even an address
  • GPS coordinates if known
  • direction facing when photograph was taken

Also include how that information was obtained, who provided it, and when.

This image is one I discovered while using my new slide and negative  scanner to scan my parents’ photographic negatives. I’m scanning all the negatives, but not necessarily saving every image of every negative. This is one image I am saving as I don’t have any other pictures of this location from this perspective.

Do not assume buildings will always be standing, roads will always be gravel, telephone lines will be above ground, etc. Things change.

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