Sort and store
How to sort photos and papers into piles, what to put them in, and why the box needs darkness, dryness and a steady temperature.
the family archive: how to save photos, letters and stories
Voronetki — a reference for everyone who looks after family memories
Almost every home has a box that nobody has gotten around to for years: unlabeled photos, letters, certificates, holiday cards. While the people who remember the faces and stories are still around, it's worth going through. Here you'll find calm, step-by-step explanations: how to put your papers in order, where and how to keep them, how to make digital copies yourself and how to ask your elders about the past. Start with any section or with one of the paths below.
A caption on the back of a photo will outlive the memory of who is in it. Write the names down today, even if it seems everyone already knows them.
Where to start
Digitize
A step-by-step article on making digital copies of a family album with a scanner or phone, and on not losing them afterward.
Record memories
How to prepare questions for a grandparent, record the conversation with their permission and turn the recording into text.
Build a family tree
Genealogy terms in plain words: generations, direct and collateral lines, and Russian parish registers and revision lists.
Reference sections
- Sections
The four topics of the reference: photographs, documents and letters, elders' memories, and genealogy.
- Guides
A step-by-step article on digitizing a family photo album yourself, plus the catalog of articles.
- Questions
Short answers about storing papers and photos, digitizing, genealogy and privacy.
- Collections
Reading paths: a weekend with Grandma's album, letters and cards, a family tree for a celebration.
- Reference
A family archive glossary: acid-free paper, backups, metadata, generations, the parish register.
- New
The newest pages of the reference by date: what came out, which topic it belongs to and who it's for.
- Archive
A complete list of finished pages, each with its preparation date and main topic tag.
Your first box of photos: five steps
Sort the photos into piles
Clear a table, wash and dry your hands, and divide the contents of the box into small piles: by person, by place or by approximate year. You don't need perfect order the first time; it's enough for similar photos to end up together.
Label what you know
With a soft pencil, gently write names, the place and an approximate date on the back. If you're nervous about writing on the photo itself, keep a separate list and give each print its own number. Pens and markers won't do: the ink bleeds through and transfers onto neighboring photos.
Scan them
Make digital copies with a scanner or a phone in even daylight. Capture not only the front but also the back with any writing: sometimes the caption is worth more than the image itself.
Keep copies in two places
Save the files to a computer and duplicate them on an external drive or in cloud storage. A single copy isn't real safekeeping: drives break and get lost more often than people think.
Put the originals in paper envelopes
Once they're digitized, place the photos in paper envelopes, label the envelopes on the outside and pack them in a box. Keep it somewhere dark and dry in a living area, not on a balcony, in a basement or next to a radiator.
The essentials
Are you an archive or a digitization service?
No. Voronetki is a reference site with articles about keeping a family archive at home. We don't store other people's papers, don't scan photos to order and don't sell anything; we explain how to do all of this yourself.
Can I hire you to trace my ancestors?
No, we don't do research to order and don't recommend anyone who does. Instead, we explain how to get started on your own: what to ask your relatives, how to keep notes and what you can request from public archives.
Is it okay to post old photos of relatives online?
If living people appear in a photo, ask for their consent first: information about living people is personal data and should be handled with care. With photos of ancestors who have passed away, it's wise to share them within the family first and talk with relatives about what can be made public.
What should I do with photos where I can't recognize anyone?
Show the photo to older relatives and longtime family friends: people are sometimes recognized by a hairstyle, clothing or the setting. Record guesses as guesses, marked “probably” along with the name of whoever suggested it. A blank caption is easier to fill in later than a confident mistake is to correct.
About the project
This domain was previously used by unrelated spam pages. Their content has not been preserved and we do not reproduce it; this reference has no connection to them, and the name Voronetki simply came with the domain.
We write for people who have inherited their parents' albums, who plan to ask their grandmother about her youth, or who want to draw a family tree for a family celebration. We explain where to begin and help you avoid damaging originals by accident.
We don't name software, services or equipment brands, and we don't give exact figures for storage conditions. The advice here is general: papers and photographs vary a great deal, and it's best not to rush with especially valuable items.
Sources
- General guidance on storing photographs and papers
- Russian Federal Law No. 125-FZ “On Archival Affairs in the Russian Federation”
- Russian Federal Law No. 152-FZ “On Personal Data”
This information is current as of the date the page was prepared. Old photographs and papers vary a great deal, so handle fragile and especially valuable originals slowly and carefully, and when in doubt, it's better to leave them alone.