How Do I Organize a Box of Inherited Photos and Files?
Get everything into one folder, fix the dates, then sort by year. Do the reading and labelling afterwards.
Gather everything into one folder first, from every drive, phone backup and memory card. Do not try to sort as you go; you will lose track of what has been copied and what has not.
Then fix the dates so the whole pile falls into a timeline. A rough order makes everything afterwards easier, including working out who is in a photo and when.
Takeout JSON Metadata Fixer takes a mixed folder of photos and videos from many sources and writes one consistent, dated library. It runs on your own computer and is free for your first 500 photos.