Ancestry.com is a leading platform for exploring family history and genealogy, providing a variety of benefits that make it a top choice for individuals wanting to discover their roots.

You can currently have a 14 day free trial so you can see how useful it is for yourself.  CLICK HERE

Here are the 15 most compelling reasons for using Ancestry.com:

1. Extensive Historical Records

Ancestry.com boasts billions of records, including birth, marriage, death, census, immigration, military, and more.

The platform provides access to records from numerous countries, making it easier to trace international family connections.

2. User-Friendly Interface

The website is easy to navigate, making it simple for users, even beginners, to start building their family trees and accessing historical data.

Step-by-step hints and suggestions help guide users in finding relevant information without feeling overwhelmed.

3. DNA Testing Services

DNA provides users with an ethnicity breakdown, offering insights into their genetic origins and heritage.

The service connects users with potential relatives based on shared DNA, helping to uncover extended family members and new branches of the family tree.

4. Family Tree Building Tools

The platform offers tools to create detailed family trees that can include photos, stories, and historical records.

Users can collaborate with family members to build and expand their family tree together.

5. Record Hints and Smart Matches

Ancestry.com suggests potential matches and relevant records for individuals in your family tree, simplifying the research process.

This feature helps users quickly discover new information and verify their research with confidence.

6. Educational Resources and Guidance

Ancestry.com offers tutorials, articles, and videos to help users become more proficient in genealogical research.

Users can join forums and groups to get advice and share discoveries with others interested in genealogy.

7. Integration with Historical Context

The platform provides background information on historical events and trends relevant to specific time periods, giving users a richer understanding of their ancestors’ lives.

Maps, old photographs, and newspaper clippings enhance the storytelling aspect of family history.

8. Mobile App Access

The Ancestry mobile app allows users to continue their research from anywhere, making it convenient to access records and update family trees.

Users can scan and upload family photos directly from their smartphones, preserving them digitally.

9. Preservation of Family Heritage

Ancestry.com allows users to compile and preserve their family stories, photos, and documents in one secure place for future generations.

Family trees can be shared with loved ones, ensuring that the collected history is passed down and enjoyed by the entire family.

10. Comprehensive Subscription Plans

Ancestry.com offers various subscription levels, allowing users to choose plans that fit their research needs and budget.

Higher-tier plans provide more extensive access to global records and databases.

11. Access to Original Documents

Users can view original documents and historical images, making the research experience more authentic and trustworthy.

Seeing the actual records can help verify details and provide deeper insights into family history.

12. Support for Adopted Individuals

Ancestry.com can be particularly helpful for those trying to find biological family members through DNA testing and shared matches.

The platform can aid in providing information that leads to emotional closure or a deeper understanding of personal heritage.

13. Continuous Updates and Expansions

Ancestry.com frequently updates its databases and adds new records, ensuring that users have access to the most comprehensive data possible.

The platform invests in improving its tools and features to enhance user experience and research capabilities.

14. Family Stories and Memoirs

Users can add stories and anecdotes about their relatives, keeping memories alive and connecting generations.

Through these stories, users can learn about family traditions, achievements, and challenges.

15. Trust and Reliability

Ancestry.com is one of the most reputable and widely used genealogy sites, trusted by millions of users for its thoroughness and reliability.

The platform places importance on user privacy and data security, giving users confidence in how their information is handled.

In summary, Ancestry.com provides a comprehensive and engaging way to explore and document family history. Whether for casual interest or deep research, it offers tools and resources that make genealogy accessible and fulfilling.

The post Ancestry.com – The Perfect Place to Create Your Family History first appeared on Photographs Forever.

I am now very excited to be able to offer you a top quality bespoke framing service. This means I can offer custom size prints, mounts and frames to show off your restored photographs in the best way possible so they can receive the attention and admiration they deserve.

The most popular moulding is the solid wood satin black or mahogany with single or double mounts.

Satin Black Frame

Mahogany frame

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I can also provide multi aperture frames – the one below is 20in x 16in with two landscape format 8in x 6in prints and two portrait format 5in x 7in prints. There are several multi aperture options available and the frames can be any size you choose. Heavier mouldings are available for larger sizes.

I can even show you what your photograph will look like before you order including all the relevant dimensions. This is particularly useful if you want a specific frame size to fit a specific space in your house.

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A representation of your own photo with dimensions added

Further details are available here

The post Top Quality Framing For Your Restored Photograph first appeared on Photographs Forever.

I found a very small framed old photograph of one of my family members with his family and wanted to see the man more clearly so I restored that section of the photograph that is just (1.5cm x 2.5cm) which I’ve printed A4 and it looks very good! Above is a photograph of the original photo alongside the A4 print. Below is the restored file.

The post Restoration of a Section of an Old Photograph first appeared on Photographs Forever.

Here just a few examples of the many ways I can transform your photographs….

If you have a photograph that has faded in its frame, it can be restored and re-coloured.

Two or more photographs can be combined and you can choose the people you want in the finished photo

Family groups can be ‘adjusted’ to include or exclude people!

Couples can finally be together in the same photograph.

Snapshots of pets can be made into portraits or montages

Treasured photographs that have suffered years of damage can be restored to their original state.

Combine a favourite photograph with a more interesting background.

Create a family montage from a selection of favourite photographs
 

Not sure which photos to use but can see the potential?
A Photographs Forever Gift Voucher of any value could be the answer.

The post 9 Great Ways To Transform Your Photographs first appeared on Photographs Forever.

Here are the two photographs beside the finished photograph montage . My customer’s touching story is below

Photograph Restoration Montage

“Earlier this year my husband and I made the decision to put our house on the market. It wasn’t just any old house. It had belonged to my grandparents since 1957 and we bought it from my mum and her brothers after Grampy passed away in 2008. Over the last few years we renovated the house and garden, but with a growing family we felt it was time for a change.

When we told my parents the news they were so upset at the thought of saying goodbye to the house, that they decided to sell up themselves and buy (back!) number 10!

My husband remembered an old photo of mum and dad outside the house and we thought it could make a wonderful housewarming gift. We trawled through album and eventually we found it! Only it wasn’t quite how we’d pictured it. There were 2 photos of the whole family, neither was perfect and we really only wanted mum, dad and my grandparents in the frame. Enter Photographs Forever! Richard restored one of the photos to it’s original condition and colours, removed the other family members and pets, took Grampy from the other photo and popped him right in behind nanny as if he’d always been there. He even gave him a body! My parents loved their gift, they couldn’t believe that it wasn’t an original photo. It now takes pride of place on their mantle piece. Thank you Richard!”      Lucy D.

The post Photograph Restoration Montage – A Special Gift first appeared on Photographs Forever.

Before – Mud behind wheels, traffic cone, lamppost, man behind car roof

After –  Clean car, no traffic cone, no lamp post, no man behind the car

Often people think of restoration as just rectifying old damaged photographs from many years ago.

What is sometimes overlooked is the number of improvements that can be made to any photograph of any age.

How often have you taken a photograph that was basically great but spoilt by something or somebody being in the photo that you don’t want in?

This is where photograph editing and photograph manipulation are extremely useful.

We can manipulate your photographs so they are what you want them to be so as well as improving fading, restoring colour we can increase the resolution so that the lower resolution photographs can be printed without pixellation.

Click HERE to take a look at some manipulation examples

Incidentally, the convertible Jaguar is available to hire for weddings and other celebrations. CLICK HERE for details

The post Photograph Restoration, Editing, Retouching and Manipulation Examples Updated first appeared on Photographs Forever.

Richard Haines of Photographs Forever specialises in restoring old photographs, and says “Unfortunately photographs don’t age well and over time their quality deteriorates. Because photos are printed on paper, things such as handling, light, moisture, dust, and scratches often affect them. Regrettably, these factors can ruin our photos and prevent them from lasting through future generations. Poor storage, such as keeping photos in attics or basements or allowing photos to be exposed to sunlight, have all contributed to the poor condition of most of our photo collections.

“It is a very good idea to restore your special photographs or even entire photo collection in order to stop the unavoidable destruction that will take place no matter how carefully the photos are stored. Once you have digital copies you needn’t worry about further damage because digital images do not change at all.”

Faded photograph restored

You can even get enlargements made of restored photos – perhaps you’d like to present your parents with a framed version of their favourite photo on their first holiday, or give all the grandchildren a copy of an old (but badly scratched and folded) family photo. Richard comments “Since old photographs have a tendency to degrade over time, professional photo restorers have developed digital techniques for restoring your old photographs and they can eliminate scratches, cracks, tears, and fading as well as repairing other damage. Many precious old photographs, often the last copy in existence, are good quality but too small to see the detail. Restoration not only captures the image electronically but then allows the restored photograph to be enlarged so prints and enlargements can be made or framed so they can be truly enjoyed in all their glory.”

Tattered portrait photograph of soldier rescued

Once you can see the detail in those old photos more clearly, they may even hold valuable clues to aspects of your family history – who’s that woman standing on the edge of the family group? What’s that landmark in the background? Richard says “Deteriorating photos may provide important historical links in your family or possible clues about your ancestors. When rebuilding your family tree, it is possible to determine certain aspects of your ancestry, such as weddings, landmarks of geographical nature and important occasions. Enhancing your old photos may reveal details you had not noticed before.” Remember, when you upload your photos to Keepsafe, you can choose to make them public to other Genes Reunited users and invite others to help you investigate them further – someone else might have the answers you’ve been looking for.

Take some time this week to look over your old photographs and create safe digital copies of them – you may even find precious photos you’d like to see restored. And if you have any questions regarding preserving old photographs then Richard would be happy to help you.

Try Keepsafe now

by Richard Haines of Photographs Forever

Click HERE  to see the Blog entry on Genes Reunited’s own website

The post Genes Reunited Blog About Photograph Restoration by Photographs Forever first appeared on Photographs Forever.

As well as restoring damaged and faded black and white photographs there are other types of restoration I thought you may be interested to know that I do.
I’ve recently restored a newspaper article dated January 1966 which was very fragile and about to fall apart. Here’s the before and after, having combined two parts of the newspaper:

Then there’s the terrific artwork that our children have done at school on awful quality paper that fades and tears so easily.
Still retaining all it’s original charm this painting is now saved forever, can be printed and framed, any size, and it won’t fade as the prints are on archive paper :

I can digitally restore and make huge improvements to all your:

• Damaged photographs  
• Faded black & white/colour photographs
• Photographs that contain unwanted articles, backgrounds or even people!
• Newspaper cuttings and photographs
• Drawings and paintings
• Children’s artwork
• Documents
• Virtually any printed material!

The post A Couple of Restoration Ideas That Aren’t Photogtraphs first appeared on Photographs Forever.

• Damaged photographs  
• Faded black & white/colour photographs
• Photographs that contain unwanted articles, backgrounds or even people!
• Newspaper cuttings and photographs
• Drawings and paintings
• Children’s artwork
• Documents
• Virtually any printed material!

The post There’s No Time Like The Present……To Get Those Photographs Restored first appeared on Photographs Forever.

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For Christmas we gave our children their own 100 page Photobook of themselves growing up. They were all absolutely thrilled to bits with them..

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Most importantly your photographs, once scanned, can be stored safely on a CD with no fear of them fading or deteriorating ever again.

 

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RECENT RESTORATIONS

Below is a photograph in a newspaper where my customer’s son was cycling with Bradley Wiggins. Newspaper articles are usually relatively poor print quality with the ‘dots’ being very visible when enlarged. This restored photograph was printed 15″ x 10″ and looked really impressive.

The photograph below was an interesting challenge. The original photograph had been badly damaged by water. Not only that but the original frame glass was also smashed and the photograph was stuck to the broken glass! As the photograph had great sentimental value, the customer had framed the stained original complete with the broken glass in a new glazed frame!  It was not possible to scan so I photographed it and restored from that image.

Mounted in a new frame with mount finished the transformation.

So if you need any help or advice in relation to storing, cataloging, scanning or restoring your photographs, don’t hesitate to Richard a call on 01825 740986 any time, I’ll always be happy to help.

The post January – The Ideal Time For a Photograph Rummage! first appeared on Photographs Forever.