How Rare is This?

[darkerhorse]

I'm trying to figure out how rare some of my ancestral images are.

1. Home movie of an ancestor born in April 1861, two weeks after Lincoln's inauguration. The movie is dated c.1950.

2. Photo of a direct ancestor born in 1840. The photo is undated, but likely c.1860.

3. Photo of a direct ancestor on the boat. The photo is undated, but likely c.1930s.

Does anyone have a movie of an ancestor born before 1861 and/or a photo of a direct ancestor born before 1840, or of a direct ancestor on the boat?

By the way, only the third item is an Italian.

[joetucciarone]

I have three hundred family photos, but only one includes a direct ancestor born before 1840. This picture was taken in 1920; my teenage grandmother is holding my 2x great grandmother who was born in Termini-Imerese on January 24, 1833.

rosalia_sansone-zodia_1920.jpg

[darkerhorse]

Andrew Jackson was U.S. president in 1833.

Do you have any home movies of relatives born before 1861?

[mjclayton1]

You guys have an embarrassment of riches in terms of your past. Enjoy it.

[CaptainCatholic]

I'm trying to figure out how rare some of my ancestral images are.

1. Home movie of an ancestor born in April 1861, two weeks after Lincoln's inauguration. The movie is dated c.1950.

2. Photo of a direct ancestor born in 1840. The photo is undated, but likely c.1860.

3. Photo of a direct ancestor on the boat. The photo is undated, but likely c.1930s.

Does anyone have a movie of an ancestor born before 1861 and/or a photo of a direct ancestor born before 1840, or of a direct ancestor on the boat?

By the way, only the third item is an Italian.

Wow, that is incredible!! I would love to have any of the items on your list, you are very lucky! The oldest thing I have is a home video of my Sicilian 2nd-Great-Grandmother. She was born in 1891 - the video is from 1957. Doesn't hold a candle to any of your's! Very cool!

[joetucciarone]

Old photographs are fascinating. My great-grandparents from Agnone (in the Molise) had an album containing several dozen cabinet cards. Unfortunately, most aren't labeled and the last person who could've identified them died 70 years ago. These are two of the

unknowns.jpg

photographs; both were shot in Italy. In the context of cabinet cards I can identify & date, these are no more recent than 1900. The old woman appears to be at least 70. So I estimate she was born no later than 1830, and probably earlier than that. Based on her pose in the 1st picture, I think of her as my Italian "Whistler's Mother."

[darkerhorse]

I'm trying to figure out how rare some of my ancestral images are.

1. Home movie of an ancestor born in April 1861, two weeks after Lincoln's inauguration. The movie is dated c.1950.

2. Photo of a direct ancestor born in 1840. The photo is undated, but likely c.1860.

3. Photo of a direct ancestor on the boat. The photo is undated, but likely c.1930s.

Does anyone have a movie of an ancestor born before 1861 and/or a photo of a direct ancestor born before 1840, or of a direct ancestor on the boat?

By the way, only the third item is an Italian.

Wow, that is incredible!! I would love to have any of the items on your list, you are very lucky! The oldest thing I have is a home video of my Sicilian 2nd-Great-Grandmother. She was born in 1891 - the video is from 1957. Doesn't hold a candle to any of your's! Very cool!

I think it's all relative (pun unintended).

Having video of a 2x great-grandparent is noteworthy, regardless of time-period.

In my case, the oldest video is my 1x ggp's generation, and the oldest photo is my 2x ggp's generation.

[darkerhorse]

Old photographs are fascinating. My great-grandparents from Agnone (in the Molise) had an album containing several dozen cabinet cards. Unfortunately, most aren't labeled and the last person who could've identified them died 70 years ago. These are two of theunknowns.jpg photographs; both were shot in Italy. In the context of cabinet cards I can identify & date, these are no more recent than 1900. The old woman appears to be at least 70. So I estimate she was born no later than 1830, and probably earlier than that. Based on her pose in the 1st picture, I think of her as my Italian "Whistler's Mother."

What's a cabinet card?

[rlw254]

Cabinet cards are portrait photographs common in the later end of the 1800s.

I've got a quick snippet of video of a Polish 2x-great born in 1881 and a few very old photos. One of an Irish immigrant husband and wife direct ancestor pair born around 1802/1805, one of an Irish many-great aunt born around 1806, and one of a Barbadian 3x-great born in 1815. Most photos on my Italian side were lost in a house fire around 1950. Of all of these things, only the video was actually in my own family - the rest came from collaboration with distant relatives.

[joetucciarone]

Cabinet cards are photographic prints that were normally made in professional studios and mounted on heavy card stock. They are works of art. Here are a few examples of cabinet cards made in Italy:

https://cabinetcardgallery.com/tag/italy/

[Labate54]

I have digital copies of some photographs from my maternal grandfather's side. Unsure of which is the oldest, but the earliest born with a photo would be my 4th Great-Grandparents born in 1810 & 1814

[darkerhorse]

I have digital copies of some photographs from my maternal grandfather's side. Unsure of which is the oldest, but the earliest born with a photo would be my 4th Great-Grandparents born in 1810 & 1814

That takes the cake for photos.

[joetucciarone]

I agree - that's amazing!

[darkerhorse]

Can anyone beat a birth year of 1861 for video?