Sunday, August 05, 2007

Caregiving: Video Genealogy

Continuing with my project of converting aging VHS tape to DVD I found myself in video alchemy as I tinkered with footage over half a century old. 

 

It is also eerie to realize that I am the only person in both videos alive. Strange but fun to spend a couple minutes with everyone ‘walking’ and ‘playing’ again.

 

NOW I am grateful someone was always sticking a camera in someone else’s face. <grin> Do not hide from cameras. Embrace them. Half a century from now you may be dusted off and restored for generations that never knew your smile.

 

(Some readers have noted they have challenges using the AOL video display. For your convenience you can simply use the links to view the video directly.)

 

Video Genealogy: (1940) Leer Family Washington, DC (02:14)

You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Us2V7IjPrU

Google Video

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=169253810944673345

 

Video Genealogy: (1958?) Morgan & Leer Families (02:19)

You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrwAT7R2W7Y

Google Video

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4724050279923114161

 

(Viewing notes: I am the older kid in the 1958 video. It is so odd to see men wearing shirts and ties for a casual outing in 1940 or the propeller aircraft and blimp flying over Washington, DC. My maternal grandparents in 1958 video were immigrants; my grandmother born in Ireland, my grandfather born in Wales.)

 

Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer

http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

http://www.myspace.com/patrickleer

7 comments:

  1. Thank you Pat, I'm just realizing that myself - about using cameras whether ppl want their pix taken or not.  We need our histories, memories.  xoxo CATHY

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  2. The videos are great! I like seeing 'real' things from before, not just in old movies (which is my favorite movies to watch!). My mom was always making pictures, even before she and my dad were married. They are fun to look at and I'm so glad that I have them!

    Thanks for sharing!
    Jackie

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  3.  Great video.  I want a machine like that.

                          Julie

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  4. memories..........are so wonderful!

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  5. I'm one of those people, like the women in the first video, who will duck when a camera is pointed at me. I have to overcome the urge to stay behind the camera because, like you said, in the future, some family member might treasure old photos of their grandmother Bea when she was able to get around. I have very few photos of me and my son together when he was a baby, and I regret that. Usually I was the camera/video person. Very few times did someone take the camera from me to put me on the other side of the lense. I never asked to be in photographs, so it worked out. But now I regret it. So I do try to allow myself to be photographed even though I dread seeing the picture. I loved your family videos. Did you lose a lot of the original quality when you uploaded them? Treasures these are. Thanks for sharing. bea

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  6. I loved them! I agree with you...don't hide from my camera because it's history and family. I'm a picture-holic! lol Great job on the videos! :o)
    Lisa

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  7. (((((((((((9HUGSTOYOU)))))))))))))Have a nice weekend.

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