Back about 1970 there was a popular song by Bobby Sherman on the radio that included the lyric, "I gotta be more than just to lines in the Oklahoma City Times." While the tune is catchy and the words poke fun of the obituary section of a great newspaper, it carries a serious message to those us interested in genealogy.
Anyone who studies family history knows how difficult it is to visualize the lives of our parents when they were young, our grandparents before they moved west in a covered wagon, or great grandparents that we never knew. Beyond two generations we can usually only pick up hints of what their lives were like through birth certificates, marriage licenses, obituaries, and other tracks that they left while alive.
These are wonderful bits of information that fill in dates, locations, and some of the cold facts of their lives but tell very little about what made them human. What were they passionate about? Were they funny? What makes them special? Did they love small children and dogs? Did they make a difference in other people's lives?
The answer to these and other questions is usually within our grasp. Here are some good places to start. While you may not remember your grandparents, older members of your family might remember and their memories are yours for the asking. If you don't have anyone older in your immediate family, expand your thinking to include cousins, aunts and uncles, second cousins until you find someone at least a few years older than you. Arrange to meet with them in person or by telephone to talk about your family.
It helps to prepare for the discussion with a few props and discussion ideas. There are some good discussion guides online that will help you get started with the most basic information like names, dates, locations, and relationships. You should also ask more open-ended questions like, "What do you remember about [grandma] when she was young? What was her personality like? Is their a particular event or occasion that stands out in your mind that demonstrates her personality? What are the things that she loved to do? What do you remember about daily life at [grandma's] house? What do you remember about going there? Were there any things that she did as a tradition during the holidays or at special times of the year?
It also helps to take along any photos or documents that you have to help guide the conversation and stimulate the memories. Who is this person in the picture? What do you remember about them?
Include your children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews in the conversation. Older people love to tell stories to children. My wife once gave an assignment to her fourth-grade class to interview people at the retirement home about their lives. They came up with some amazing stories that were written down and presented to the person's relatives as a keepsake.
You should also check for any media items that might help you understand. Do you have any photographs, movies, or recordings of [grandma] that might help me get to know her better? Is it okay if I copy these?
Most people have a few events that stand out in their minds and you should let the conversation go where they want it to go. Record the conversation and take notes just in case the recorder doesn't work. Take some pictures yourself just to document the occasion.
Finally, get a good software program that tracks not only cold facts but allows you to organize and show off your media – recordings, photos, movies. Share your information with family members and the world by posting it on a web site where relatives will find you and give you even more information.
Your family can be more than just two lines in the Oklahoma City Times. Through your effort their lives can continue to make a positive difference in the world.
Gene Hall is a genealogist with over 25 years of experience and thousands of relatives. He is the CEO of FamilyTrackers, Inc. a world-wide genealogy exchange with web site at http://www.familytrackers.com/
This article comes with reprint rights. You are free to reprint and distribute it as you like. All that I ask is that you reprint it in its entirety without any changes including this text and the link above.
Familybuilder Exceeds 10 Million Family Tree Profiles on Facebook & Bebo, Launches Family Tree Application on MySpace
Familybuilder is fast becoming the Internet's favorite social tool for people interested in genealogy and family history.
Pooches Get Pampered at Las Vegas PETCOs: Bark Up Family Tree with Dog DNA Test
April 5 is Pamper Your Pet Day at Las Vegas PETCO stores. All local pooches and their human parents are invited to a day of doggie grooming and spa treatments, nutrition and training tips, and a chance to win cool raffle prizes for pets and people.
Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation Completes Major DNA Collection Effort in Mongolia to Study the Descendants of Ancient Nomads from Eurasian Ste
The Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF), a non-profit scientific organization developing the world's largest online repository of correlated genetic and family history information, today announced that it has completed a major Mongolia DNA collection initiative.
PersonalButPolite.com - Filling in the Family Tree Blanks
Using personal announcement columns from old newspapers for genealogy research helps provide clues that may otherwise not exist.
Free Genealogy Program
Government Record: Public Records Government Oregon
Genealogy - Then and Now
Just a few years back, doing a family history research was really a back-breaking and very time-consuming task. In the early days, family history researchers had to search for information the hard way the VERY hard way. For example, genealogists back then had to do travel extensively and do an actual visit to places where their ancestors lived and died before they could get any information.
10 No-Fee Resources for Climbing Your Family Tree Online
As the Webmaster of a genealogy website, I'm often asked if it's possible to find family tree data that doesn't come with a price tag. My answer is yes! My favorite no-fee sites are:1.
WorldVitalRecords.com Launches World Genealogy Collection: A Billion Names from 35 Countries Coming Online
WorldVitalRecords.com (a service of FamilyLink.com, Inc.) released today its flagship product, the World Collection, an online genealogy database containing more than 1.5 billion names from 35 countries.
How To Build A Family Tree
Building a family tree may sound like a daunting process, but it can be a really fun family project. Many times, you have resources as close as a phone call or e-mail. Let the kids interview grandparents and aunts and uncles. Have everyone tell them about as many family members as they can remember. Older family members love to share stories and time with the younger ones.
Family Trees, Genealogy Take Root at TreeX.com, Newly Launched Web Site
September marks the launch of TreeX.com, a new online interface in which friends, relatives and professional genealogists can work together or alone to create family trees and keep track of family history.
NES to Nintendo Wii -- NerdyShirts.com Releases Design Featuring Nintendo Family Tree
With the recent launch of the Nintendo Wii, www.NerdyShirts.com has released a new tee shirt design catering to Nintendo fans and featuring a full "family tree" of Nintendo video game consoles.
Genealogy Job Allen Ohio
Government Record: Alabama Criminal Court Public Records
AmericanIndianDNA.com Provides DNA Information, DNA Testing and Genealogy Information for American Indians and Native Americans
In addition to DNA and Family History information, we have also added a NEW Indian Pow Wow calendar for Pow Wows in the United States and Canada.
The Generation Gap: Passing Sound Financial Practices Down the Family Tree
In our world of ?keeping up with the joneses?, it?s an everyday struggle to resist buying the latest, greatest toy to wow our neighbors with. But how did we come to be this way?
Looking For Relatives Research Your Genealogy
Family Tree provides detailed information on the families past history. To organize your research you need to create a worksheet of your family tree. There are many tools to use to help start the process of your family tree, they are not expensive and widely available, and they are great tools for organizing. Studying genealogy will give you the knowledge you will need to understand your ancestry, and it will help in creating the family tree. The family tree is a graphical representation of how the family fits and is related to each other. To make it easier it is a good idea to separate the generations, this will make it easier for tracing the family roots. By seeing the generations it is a good rule of thumb of you your family tree will...