Family Trees That Talk - Interviewing relatives

by Wayne Thomas

As a means of researching family trees,

interviewing relatives can be a really enjoyable

experience for both parties. But, there are some

important rules. As with anything worthwhile,

genealogy does have guidelines that must be

followed if you are at all

serious about family history.



5 Simple Rules



* Contact them first - DON’T just turn up on

their doorstep, cassette recorder in hand. Get

their permission to do the interview and be

honest about why

you would like to speak to them.



* Be careful not to offend them by asking

questions that maybe too personal or of a very

sensitive nature. Some people will answer any

question you throw at them

whereas others will be more guarded. Obviously if

you already have a close relationship with Uncle

George, he

will be quite relaxed in talking to you. Aunty

Madge, however, who you wouldn’t know if you fell

over her, is

not as likely to be so forthcoming in laying out

the laundry, clean or otherwise, of the family!



* It’s important to have a list of questions

ready. You may not ask them all or you may need

to alter the focus of some during the interview,

but you should have a list of core questions

ready. Why? Because this will

ensure that you don’t forget anything important

and secondly it gives the impression that you

actually know

what you are doing. Dithering and looking up at

the

ceiling every 5 minutes trying to remember what

to ask next does not inspire confidence and will

likely make the interviewee uncomfortable.



* DON’T outstay your welcome. You are the only

one that can judge when that might be.



* Show your appreciation for their time by either

presenting them with a small gift or simply

saying those magic words, "thank you".





Verify Or Else



Family interviews are a fantastic way to fill in

the gaps in your family trees, and will provide

far more information than you could ever glean

from a marriage

certificate. The quality and detail can be

extraordinary and enlightening, BUT don’t accept

everything Uncle George says as being entirely

accurate. His "true story" may not be true at all.

THE FIRST RULE IN GENEALOGY IS VERIFY -

wherever possible. The truth can be stretched,

twisted, bent and made to disappear altogether.

That doesn’t mean Uncle George is

lying, he may just be repeating what he was told

by someone else or may have forgotten the details

over time.



My Story



Here is an example of just such a point from my

own family history. It is very illustrative of

the need, when researching family trees, for

accurate information.



My great-grandfather George BURLS came out from

England and settled in rural Victoria, Australia.

My grandmother, his youngest daughter, always

insisted that he

was a detective and that he solved a murder

investigation in a nearby town. Well, that was

all I had to go on. Firstly, if there was a

murder the local

newspaper was the place to start. I knew I would

have to go back to the early 1900’s because my

great-grandfather died in 1919 aged 70.



Back at about that time a water reservoir called

the Waranga Basin was being excavated and so

there was a great influx of workers around the

area. Two of the

workers living in the tent city that sprung up

were James Edwards and William Skinner. They were

friends but Skinner got drunk one night and

attacked Edwards

with a shovel. He defended himself with a nearby

axe and killed Skinner. Fearing the police would

not believe it was self-defence, Edwards

proceeded to cut up the body, placed the parts in

hessian bags and threw them into the basin. They

were later found and an investigation ensued. All

these details I got from a

newspaper, The Rushworth Chronicle of 1905.



George BURLS and his son Alfred were rabbit

trapping, which was their occupation, when they

were approached by the culprit, Edwards, who they

both knew from another job site where they had

previously worked

together. Edwards denied ever knowing them and

said he wanted to buy some tobacco. He did so

then left. They were both called to give evidence

at the subsequent

trial. End of story!



The above are the facts of the case. My

grandmothers version was somewhat more elaborate,

granting my great-grandfather, who by the way

only had one eye, with the tracking down and

apprehension of Edwards. But

again, she may have just been repeating what she

had been told.



Handy Interviewing Questions



Okay, so here are some sample questions to get

your family trees talking. These are in addition

to the mandatory ones such as names, dates of

birth, marriage

death etc.



1. Describe your childhood - relationship with

parents, siblings.



2. The greatest joy of your childhood was .......?



3. As a child, what was your worst fear?



4. What was your father’s occupation and what was

the quality of your life like as a child?



5. How would you describe your parents and or

grandparents - physical characteristics and

qualities?



6. What is the most pleasant memory you have of

your parents and or grandparents?



7. What was the dumbest thing you ever did as a

child?



8. What was your most memorable holiday?



9. What was one thing that attracted you to your

spouse? Why?



10. What was the most difficult moment for you as

a parent?



11. What one thing would you change in your role

as a parent?



12. What would you like your children to most

remember about you?



13. What was your greatest fear as a parent?



14. What activities do you enjoy?



15. What do you find really annoying in other

peoples actions or characteristics?



Play with the questions. Add to them if you wish.

They are just to get you thinking.

Good hunting!



Wayne Thomas has been involved in genealogy for
over 25 years. His website has loads of resources
for the beginner and beyond, plus a free ebook.
Visit at www.new2-geaneology



Article Source: ArticleRich.com