Pick Up Your Phone

Talking to relatives and discovering their stories is the perfect way to
start any genealogical investigation

  • Not to be insensitive, but start with the oldest relatives first. Interview as many people as you can and talk to them more than once. If a question for your distant Aunt pops into your head, give her a call, even if you haven’t spoken to her in years. Especially if you haven’t spoken to her in years. Family research is a great way to reconnect. She’d probably love to hear from you.

  • Ask specific questions. To help to jog the memory, give your questions a narrow focus. Instead of asking “Tell me about your childhood?’ try asking “Where is the first place you remember living?” “Who lived there with you?” “What was your favorite thing to have for dinner as a child?”

    Questions with a narrow focus can hep bring up a host of memories and details about your ancestors’ lives.

  • Bringing a few old photos to look at together helps the person you are interviewing to remember a specific time or place, and a wealth of surrounding memories. A drive around the old neighborhood can also get the conversation flowing. Once again, ask specific questions throughout your interview.

  • Take notes every time you talk to someone or make an audio or video recording. Write down or record the date, and the name of the person you are interviewing. If you are taking notes, write down all the information they give you, even if you don’t think it’s relevant at the time. As your family story unfolds, it may prove useful.

    Don’t rely on your own recall. There’s nothing like a handwritten note to jog your memory, even if it’s on the back of a cocktail napkin. And watching a recording or hearing the voice of a loved one many years after an interview is extremely powerful.

  • Ask about medical conditions. Be sure to ask if family members had any hereditary medical conditions, like heart disease, asthma or diabetes. Remember to ask specific questions, including how old they were when it started and how the condition affected their everyday lives. Did they have any surgeries? Did they take any medications? What was their parents’ cause of death? This information could be invaluable to future generations.