SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | SEPTEMBER 2019 13
By Dick Roppé, Resident
It's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Having
been involved with genealogy for several years, one of the most
exciting things is discovering old family pictures that have often
lost their luster over the years. Bringing them "back to life" is a big
challenge for the amateur genealogist.
Around 1902, my great-grandfather, Thomas Edwin Rickard and
his family packed up in San Diego and headed for - of all places –
Hemet. They chose Hemet because of its drier climate and the need
to find a more suitable residence for my ailing great-grandmother,
Katie Eliza.
I'm still researching the most likely route they took from San Diego
to Hemet. I do know that their trek took them past Mission San
Diego de Alcala.
On their way, and after they arrived in Hemet they took several
more pictures. Some of those pix required very little boosting.
I'm including two before and after pictures that required the most
enhancement.
Even if you're not into genealogy, you can still take old photos and
give them new life. I used Adobe Photoshop Elements. It's pretty
labor intensive, but you'll soon get the hang of it.
The Rickards built a house on Crest Drive that still stands today.
More on that in a future article.
Before and After - Restoring Old Photos
Before and After: This was
on the back of the photo:
"…taken when family
was traveling from SD to
Hemet by wagon, surrey
and three bicycles."
Before and After:
Hemet Dam
Hemet High School
baseball team
San Diego
Mission
