If you're searching for old photos of your ancestors and someone in the family is in the possession of old reels of film, don't put off getting them transferred to digital! My grandfather had reels of film that sat in storage for decades until one of my aunts recently took them to get them converted to digital and all I can think is why didn't we do this sooner? Yes, it can be expensive, but if it's too much for your budget, it might be worthwhile to start saving! Take up a collection among the family, if necessary. Since copies can be freely shared, those who are interested shouldn't mind contributing if that's what it takes to bring these old treasures back to life.
One treasure found among the reels of my grandfather's films was a segment of an old man walking from his house to his shed. Even though he died before I was born, I knew right away it must be Newman Harvey, my grandfather's maternal grandfather. Still, I confirmed it with both my grandfather and his sister. Sure enough, it was Grandpa Harvey!
Prior to seeing these films, we had only seen Grandpa Harvey in a painted portrait (shown here) and in a group photo where we can see his form but not his face. Now, from the film, we can not only see him in living color, alive and walking, but we can save numerous stills giving us more photos of him.
While putting together this video for his descendants to enjoy, I realized it was recorded at his home, the same place Newman died just four years after this film was recorded. He lived next door to the church he and his wife founded, Groton Assembly of God - formerly called Glad Tidings Assembly. His home was probably the church parsonage, although he wasn't the church's pastor. His funeral was held at the same church.
Click play to watch!
Special thanks to Aunt Linda for reviving these old films and making this video possible!
Share this treasure with other descendants!
