When referring to family members in your writing, on pictures, etc. make certain you refer to them by name, not just by their relationship to you.
Aunt Helen on the back of a picture could refer to more than one person.
Uncle John in some families could refer to a multitude of people.
And “Mom,” while a term of endearment for many, is about as vague as it gets.
Use the person’s complete name at least once so that it is clear. In the same piece of writing they can later be referred to as “Aunt,” “Uncle,” “Dad,” etc. but the first reference should make it clear that you are talking about Fannie (Rampley) Neill, not just Aunt Fannie.
And a range of their life span might also be a good idea.
2 Responses
Yes, I am already doing that so I or someone else knows that it was Aunt, not Great Aunt Ruth. In the picture. It certainly does help clarify. Thank u 4 that advice.
YES! YES! YES!! I have wonderful hand written stories from my grandmother about her youth (she was born in 1880) and random family stories. She writes about her brothers; her older and younger sisters; even a great story about her grandfather, but she never, never names them.