Family photographs and Documents

You will usually find that elderly relatives have many copies of old photographs. Ask them for a copy (to scan in if you have a scanner) or simply to photocopy.

They provide a useful way to create a discussion. Many people like

• Old photographs: Take a photocopy and write the names on the back.
  
• Education: Sadly there are few if any records to show where an ancestor went to school. School reports,  merits and attendance  certificates found at home may be the only clues left. (Attendance Certificates were very popular until recently and highly regarded - they give important information about education)
  
• Birth, marriage and death certificates are always useful. They provide information that can be very costly in terms of time to find again.
  
• Post Cards. Collecting Post Cards was a very popular hobby. Also remember that the post in Edwardian times was very    efficient, letters posed locally were often delivered the same afternoon - a useful method of keeping in touch.