Welcome back to the GENEALOGY RESEARCH SERIES: Interviewing Your Relatives!
Have you ever wondered about your family history? Where did we come from? What is OUR story?
Follow along with me in this Genealogy Research Series and learn how Interviewing your relatives can help you begin your family history journey.
You can check out the companion YouTube video here:
Interviewing Your Relatives
One of the best ways to get information about your ancestors is to simply ask your relatives. Having conversations with older relatives may produce stories about ancestors they knew, but you didn’t.
Knowing who to talk to and how to get your older relatives to remember family stories and share them with you may seem like a daunting task, but with a little guidance, you can be well on your way to great family history interviews.
Who Should You Talk To?
So, who are the best candidates for you to talk to?
The most obvious place to start is with your parents.
Talk to them to find out what they know about your ancestors. But quickly move on to your grandparents and older relatives.
Your older relatives can tell you stories that you may have never heard before. Sometimes we think we have heard ALL the stories our grandparents have about their lives, but most of the time that is just not the case.
Our older relatives know things about the family that they may not have thought were interesting to anyone or even relevant to family history. It’s worth it to revisit some of those stories.
Others you should talk to include older aunts, uncles, great grandparents, and even elderly cousins. Have conversations with them too!
Many of us have “aunts and uncles” that are not even related to us but rather are close friends or neighbors to our parents or grandparents and are considered “family”.
People in this group may have been involved in some of your family stories and they could offer great information about our families from a different perspective.
Tips for Interviewing Your Relatives
There are a few tips for interviewing your relatives that may make it easier for you. Let’s go over some of them.
- Take a notebook and pens so you can record the information you learn from your interview.
- You may get better information through a storytelling session than a formal question and answer interview. Family get-togethers with several family members present may produce more stories. When multiple family members are involved, they can add details to the stories, each one remembering a different element of the story.
- Take a list of questions with you. If your older relatives can’t think of anything to tell you about your family’s history, you can refer to some questions to prompt the conversation.
- Avoid “yes” or “no” questions because one-word answers won’t produce interesting stories
- Ask open-ended questions based on family events.
- Ask questions that relate to family memories and stories that you have heard before. You can click here to download a free list of questions or memory prompts for your Family History Interviews.
Keep It Informal
If the interview goes off course from your list of questions, let it go.
Sometimes, the answer to one of your questions may lead to a memory about something else. The worst case scenario is that the memory won’t be relevant to your genealogy. But it COULD be a new story you have never heard before that will provide interesting information about your family’s history.
Take Along Old Photos
Taking along old photos could help spark memories. Ask about the people in the photos and what they know about where the pictures were taken.
Triggering memories with photos can be a gentler way to ease into the interview than firing off questions. Photos have a way of warming up older relatives’ memories. Plus, they may be able to help you identify some unknown people in the photos.
Ask Permission to Video
Ask your relative for permission to video or record your interview. Videos of older relatives telling family stories can become precious heirlooms.
Some people feel uncomfortable about being videoed, so do not insist. Others are ok with it and don’t mind at all.
If your relatives are uncomfortable being videoed, try asking permission to use an audio recorder. Some smartphones have built-in voice recorders, but if not, there are 100s of audio recorders that can be downloaded easily.
Using a voice recorder can keep you from scribbling notes like a mad man, so you can concentrate on the stories being told.
You can also save your recordings and return to them later for information.
But better than that, your recordings may end up as priceless treasures to your family because you now have stories told in your relatives’ voices.
Videos and audio recordings are priceless, but if you are not able to get those, all is not lost. Taking notes about the stories can still add interesting personal touches to your family history.
Just Do It!
The most important tip I can give you is to get started interviewing your relatives! Don’t wait for special occasions.
Families can be scattered all over the place these days and get-togethers may happen only once or twice a year. You don’t have to wait until Christmas to talk to your relatives.
Interview anyone that will take the time to talk to you and don’t miss your opportunity at family gatherings, no matter how small they are.
Unlocking the memories of your older relatives may help you get started in the right direction for your research.
The sooner you talk to these older relatives the better. Take advantage of NOW and get started on your genealogy journey!
Stay Tuned
Stay tuned to the Genealogy Research Series for tips on how to trace your family tree.
Remember, I will teach you what records will help you learn about your ancestors and where to find them.
So, if you are interested in tracing your family tree and don’t know where to begin, or if you have been just dabbling with genealogy a little bit and are ready to get serious about it, then stick around for lots of information to guide you on your journey.
You can go to this page for a list of other posts and videos in this series that are guaranteed to guide you in your search for ancestors!
Until Next Time…
Happy Hunting!
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