Genealogy 101

Lesson 1: Where Do I Begin?

Interviewing the Family

Talking to your family can be a difficult task. It’s easy to talk about day-to-day activities, but how do you get them to open up about their past? Here are a few ideas to get Uncle Henry to tell you about his past:

First, bring a notebook, lots of pens or pencils, and a tape recorder. Some people are very uncomfortable with speaking near a tape recorder. Make sure the batteries in your tape recorder are new. Make sure any pencils you bring are already sharpened and all of your pens are new. Use the notebook to jot down highlights. If Uncle Henry is uncomfortable about speaking into a recorder, your notebook will come in handy.

Ask easy questions to start with. For instance:
1. When were you born?
2. Where were you born?
3. Who are/were your mother/father?
4. Where were they born?
5. When were they born?
6. Can you tell me anything about your grandparents?

Make sure you carefully write down what Uncle Henry tells you neatly so you can read your observations later.

Try to get Uncle Henry to tell you more than he has.
1. Can you tell me any of your ancestors?
2. Where were they from?
3. Can you tell me what the family name means?
4. Get other family members involved:
5. Have Uncle Henry tell you who else could help.

Call or write other family members:

Sample Letter:

Dear Aunt Jane:

I am starting a family tree and would like your help in tracing the family tree. Would you be available for an interview on Saturday, July 10 at 10:30 a.m.? Please call me at 555-1212.
Sincerely,
Your name

Once you have finished with the interviews you will need to compile your research in a readable format. Start with your first interview, in this instance, your interview with Uncle Henry. Write all your statistical information on a 3X5 card, just like you did when you started with information you already had. (Name, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Marriage, etc.)

If there is any additional information, and there will probably be, copy that into a notebook. How you label this information is up to you. Perhaps a page with the title, “Uncle Henry’s memories.” If you have the use of a computer you could type all your information into a word processing program and keep a copy on disk to print when you’re done. Memories and stories are a wonderful way to hand down generations of information. Not only do you get additional information, but you get a great family story as well.

Interviewing family members does not have to be a scary process. Think of it as talking around the campfire, but at this campfire you’re recording everything.

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