My research can take me in two directions. One, I call the straight line where I follow the direct line of my ancestors. The other is the broad view where I expand my aunts and uncles lines to find near and distant cousins.
Searching for cousins can be rewarding. I find delight in reconnecting with lost members of my extended family for its own sake. The added bonus is that our distant relatives may have information about our direct line. This week, I will focus on family interviews as a way to begin searching for those missing branches of the family.
When you talk to older members of the family, they may remember the names of cousins they played with, where they moved to, who they married. The clues you need to start extending your family search. I have found that a tape recorder (or a camrecorder, if you're flush) is an absolute necessity for a good interview. Before you leave, be sure to get the addresses of all the relatives your interviewee has.
Interviewing our elder relatives is one of the basic techniques of genealogists. Although I am focusing on obtaining information to locate cousins, the interview is used for many other reasons- to gather family traditions, to document the way life used to be, to preserve history as seen be one who lived it, etc. Mastering the art of interviewing is an important skill to master for the genealogist.
Here are a few sites that I found helpful for learning the art of interviewing.
Capturing the Past, from the PBS show, "Ancestors" - a good basic introduction
Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Tips for recording oral histories - some excellent tips
Tips for Interviewers, from the UC Berkeley Library (taping interviews) - a guide to become proficient at interviews
NEXT WEEK Part 2 of searching for distant cousins: correspondence
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