Some of the people are gone but their characters live on in the stories told by the children, grandchildren, family and friends. The " remember when " stories that one never tires of impartiality. Each relater adds decent a bit of colour, view, twist and frill to their own submission of the history soaked tale.
Given the chance, write down or inscribe these stories and anecdotes before they are absent giant in the minds of the elders and those that have passed on. Proceeds guilt and become the family or community archivist and historian.
Descent quests can become an addiction. With the help of computers and some simple congenial genealogical software and web sites, a person can be sunk for hours following one monogram. In a search that will yep open more gates than instinctive, be prepared to find out information about family and, yes, friends that may be shocking, most likely laughable and a surprise when blind sided with some facts that were least expected. Definitely go on the search with an open mind.
Confirming accuracy of traditional stories can be a difficult task and ought to be approached with dignity and professionalism when dealing with anyone, especially senior members of families or communities. Older members of the family and of the community might not understand why there is a need to share information about the days when they were young. Regardless of whether the interviewer is a family member or not, a lot of old - timers will flat - out refuse to discuss information that has been dug up and brought to them for corroboration. Often as not, they have held the information in confidence since the event happened and in their mind, to speak of the people, would be a betrayal of that confidence. The older generations were loyal to their friends and family and they believe that what they know or have been told in confidence is no one else ' s business other than those involved. They feel it is not their place to divulge the facts no matter how public the story is. This is an admirable trust and should be respected when going in search of data, it is best to understand this trust to ensure no one is insulted. However, do not let this be a discouragement to the search to verify the data that has been uncovered.
Being for - warned is being for - armed when dealing with people who do not want to give up facts. Be prepared with other questions that may skirt the story in question. Asking questions like " Did you know so - and - so very well? " " Didn ' t they live next door to you on such - and such street? " " Didn ' t they have a cousin names Tom? " This is not being sneaky or trying to get information out of someone who does not want to give it. It is a way to support the information already attained from elsewhere. Getting answers from these questions from someone who lived during that time is the best way to include proven information in your genealogical history. Un - related questions may also encourage the person being interviewed to offer other knowledge about the family and neighbourhood. With these newly gathered facts, the gates to investigating the history of the family or community will open other gates and paths to wonder down.
