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Topics - Mike Morrell (NL)

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10
Photograph Resources, Tips, Tutorials / For photo restorers ...
« on: Thursday 01 June 17 21:28 BST (UK)  »
I'm a complete newbie to Rootschat and the 'photo restoration' forum. But I know much more about restoration and Photoshop than I did 4 weeks ago! So first all I'd like to than everyone who encouraged me and gave me tips on how to learn 'restoration' during the past weeks. Notably jloy326 for his invaluable 'in-depth' resources  and HandyPandy for his ongoing feedback, advice and tips. Not only on 'restoration' but on great music too! :)

From the 'restorers' who I've had no direct contact with, I've learned a lot through their examples.  Mostly as an inspiration as to what's possible in restoration. And sometimes as an inspiration to find out more about a specific technique. I've PM'd a couple restorers with specific questions and all have been very helpful.

As a newbie, I'm not sure what the etiquette is with regard to sharing questions, tips, advice, etc. between restorers. Sometimes compliments and Q&A between restorers are included in the topic for each photo. But somehow, the forum topic for each photo doesn't seem to be the right place for extended discussions between restorers on the 'why and how' of specific versions. Because everyone works differently, I'm not sure who would be interested in sharing their experience, workflow, tips and advice.

To cut a long story short, I thought that this 'topic' could be a place where restorers can ask each other questions, share tips, compliment each other on particularly good restores. etc.

If there's no interest, this 'topic' will just fall of the forum, never to be heard of again. If restorers have questions, tips to share, etc, then the 'topic'  will continue to live.

Mike

11
Photograph Resources, Tips, Tutorials / To restorers: tips for learning how to restore old photographs?
« on: Thursday 04 May 17 15:07 BST (UK)  »
Hi all,

I'd like to learn more about how to digitally restore old photographs. For my own photos but also to contribute more to Rootschat. Google shows various online resources for this and there's plenty I still need to read and practice. But I wonder whether you have some good tips on how and where to start learning? Are there books/websites/video's/online courses that you've found valuable?

I found a previous thread on this topic from 2007 but many of the links in restoration are now 'dead'.

As an amateur photographer I use Adobe Lightroom for 'adjusting' 95% of the digital photo's I want to keep. For the other 5% (for which I need to use multiple layers), I use Photoshop. I'm reasonably competent in using both programs along with various 'plug-ins' for additional filters/enhancements. So I'm not looking for advice on basic software. I'm more interested in how to apply these kinds of programs/filters/enhancements in restoring old photographs.  I've already bookmarked a couple of websites but I'd welcome any tips/links from experienced restorers.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

12
The Lighter Side / Welsh village life in 1895-1905
« on: Wednesday 26 April 17 17:25 BST (UK)  »
Some time ago I came across a personal, first-hand description of Welsh village (social) life as a child and teenager in 1895-1905. The story is centered on Waunarlwydd (the village I was brought up in) and the Swansea area but is perhaps typical of Welsh village life at that time. The author, Lizzie Holborrow, writes with warmth and humour and I enjoyed reading her story. I posted more details in the Wales/Glamorganshire forum: http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=770348.msg6229887#msg6229887

Mike

13
Glamorganshire / Lizzie Holborow's (b 1890) memories of childhood and village life
« on: Wednesday 26 April 17 17:06 BST (UK)  »
I don't know whether anyone else is interested in this, but maybe it's worth mentioning.

Lizzie Holborrow nee Perkins (1889 - 1977) lived in the village of Waunarlwydd (5 miles from Swansea) all her life. In the 1960's she gave a local talk called 'My village of Waunarlwydd' recalling (social) life in the village as a child and teenager around 1895-1905. In preparation for her talk, she wrote everything down in longhand.

Lizzie was an intelligent and perceptive woman and obviously had a good memory for detail. In her writing, she paints a colourful picture of Welsh village life around that time. The details and anecdotes are of course centred on Waunarlwydd and the Swansea area. But her description of village life is probably representative of many similar Welsh villages around that time:
- much of the social life tied to 'chapel' events
- typical children's games and pastimes, having to leave school aged 11 to earn money for the family
- families walking many miles for 'social outings' at the beach (or other scenic location)
- men walking even further afield in search of a day's work

Extracts from Lizzie's 'talk' are included in Norman Lewis Thomas's 1969 book 'THE STORY OF SWANSEA'S DISTRICTS AND VILLAGES'. This book is still available 2nd hand.

Lizzies original (long)handwritten notes, preceded by her daughter's more legible transcription, are available at http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/11002/1/BurnettArchive.pdf. These were published locally in book form too. I have a PDF of scanned images of the book. A crappy 'compressed version' that flies under Rootchat's maximum file size limit is attached. If anyone's interested in a readable version, let me know.

I have a special interest in Lizzie's story because I was born and brought up in Waunarlwydd too. But I think her story could also be of interest to others. What I like about it is that it's a structured but personal, first-hand description of village life in that period as she herself experienced it. No analysis or historical perspective, just personal recollections. She also writes with warmth and humour which makes it an enjoyable read. About 15 pages.

Mike




14
Family History Beginners Board / Recommended Workflow
« on: Monday 03 April 17 18:04 BST (UK)  »
Hi all, I'm sure this question has been answered many times before but my search didn't bring up previous posts. My question is: is there is a recommended workflow when researching ancestors? I appreciate that research is a fuzzy area in which none of us are sure which clues first come to light.  But I do wonder about which boxes need to be checked in order to be reasonably certain that <person A> is not <person B> who has the same name, birth town/village and birth date (year). The same applies to marriages and census data. As a beginner, I find some connections much more plausible than others. For example via census data (family ages) and addresses (the same or similar). When I have doubts I order certificates. Is there something I'm missing?

Thanks for your help,

Mike

15
Family History Beginners Board / Deciding between 2 alternatives: tips anyone?
« on: Sunday 19 March 17 17:13 GMT (UK)  »
I'm a newbie here so forgive me for asking a question that has been answered many times in the past! I'd be happy if someone would give me a link to relevant articles, threads or posts.

I'm not completely new to Genealogy so I'm used to tracking people through census, birth/baptism and marriage/marriage-bann records. I try to do this as securely as possible by verifying ages, addresses, occupations etc.

I've come across a situation in which one my ancestors who I'm certain of in 1851 (married 2 years earlier) could - as a teenager - be one of two people (A or B) in the UK census of 1841. The census data of his married years indicate that his date of birth is between 1828 and 1830. This points to him being person A. However, the first names of his first two children correspond with the parents' names of person B (born in 1831). Both A and B were born with within 2 years of 1829.

Any tips on how to distinguish between "James A" and "James B"?

Thanks,

Mike


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