Question of the Week: What are some of the ways you have found or used to get your family interested in genealogy?

Question

Something I heard about recently that would be fun to do next week when a lot of us will be with our families is the StoryCorps Great Thanksgiving Listen.

It's an effort to get high school students involved in their family history, but it's also perfect for people like us! :-)

Comments

My best results have come by finding cousins who are already interested in genealogy.

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On a more somber note, I intend to request that my relatives be tested for genetically transmitted cardiomyopathy... but only after the festivities have concluded. my urgency being that it runs in the family and can cause sudden death in young athletes through heart failure. Thanksgiving or soon thereafter will see us all together!

Story Corps is a super idea, Julie Ricketts, I've listened to it and particularly found fascinating the story of a neighbor who met his German wife while serving with American troops in WWII. Stayed happy all of the decades afterward, an African-American soldier married to a German fraulein.

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Thank you, Dorothy! And I hope that the testing is helpful and that most people show up without the anomaly. <3

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Thanks, Julie. "Live long and prosper!"

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I tell stories usually in a text whenever i find one. My great uncle was county medical examiner for several years and yet he had a drinking problem and you could find him sitting in the gutter. Also he was well-liked in the city. He also was married 3 times, each by divorce, for spouse abuse and alcoholism.

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The best thing that happened to get my sisters interested in genealogy was to have a relative write an historical fiction novel about our 4GGrandmother. While fiction, it had a lot of real information in it and some reasonably good genealogy and included pages of source citations. The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor by Sally Armstrong.

Next best thing was to find that some of our ancestors are buried in the cemetery my youngest sister occasionally goes for a walk with her dog in which. While interesting to some, a well known personage in your lineage can also get family interested. My sisters weren't interested in the Rev War soldiers but did get interested when Roger Conant showed up. The youngest doesn't live very far from Salem, Massachusetts which helped. Now they want me to find a witch.

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Dorothy, Perhaps through testing you can see if there is an inherited propensity for your family's heart issues. If one does not come back, please consider looking into the role selenium plays in heart health. The U.S. government has known since the 1930's that the soil east of the Mississippi is depleted of this important mineral. A lack of selenium is known to cause Cardiomyopathy (Keshan's Disease) in some people (malabsorption or lack of. selenium in food). You can do some research into this. This is just a suggestion as you can discuss this with your doctor and he may be able to do blood work to determine if this is an issue. I wish you the best- God bless!

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I started in 1996 because I read a hardbound gene study commissioned by my uncle for a local certified genealogist who researched our family the hard way...writing letters and making phone calls and going to Chicago to some military archives. This turned out to be a travesty and a distant family member sold copies on the internet. [The Eldridge-Bawden Families]

I knew I could do a better job. I enjoyed going to genealogy weekends.

I love to share stories about family movers and shakers. I get accolades for my story-telling. I plan to publish my information. Yet nobody has expressed interest in this project.

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I used to only have a semi interest in family history, I'd help my mum input data sometimes, help her triple check dates/names. And I'd listen when she found some one new.

What really kicked me into high gear wanting to learn and take on the family history mum had been doing for 35yrs, was (and not trying to be depressing, I am typing this with a splash of humour) .. was my Mum passing away 2 months ago!

She always said she'd make a genealogist of me! Cheeky woman. Love ya Mum.

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That's very sweet, Kylie! I'm sure she's thrilled to know that you're carrying on the tradition!

Answer 1

I've talked about family in relation to historical events. A relative was involved in this military conflict (WWII, WWI, Civil War, Revolutionary War,etc) or these family members can be traced to the Mayflower, etc.

Also, talking about successful relations...for example I have a relative [[Russell-12051|L.E. Russell]] that was a successful doctor/surgeon.

It really hasn't lead to anyone else researching, but it has definitely brought about some discussion and I've been able to share the knowledge, especially with my children.

Comments

That's a great way to draw children into history, Tim. Like Astrid said below, a lot of children don't like history in school because of the way it's taught. They can't relate to it. Bringing stories about our families in relation to historical events makes history come alive!

Answer 2

I never liked history at school......... grrrr well I did at primary school as we had that teacher that was so good at story telling. Loved it then but at secundary it was only about keeping numbers............... with events.

If secundary would  make WikiTree a compulsory school subject I am sure it would make many scholars more interested in history. For instance I never heard about some wars here like the Belgium war but learned about it as some of the ones I was researching on were involved there.

 

That is not an answer to the question :) But just liked to share. :p

 

Oh looking at the link now. :D IT does fit!

Comments

Same story here, Astrid! I really disliked history class in high school. I think you're right: If they taught it as genealogy class, maybe more people would learn more. ;-)

Answer 3

I have always been a photo nut,,and when people started asking if I had a picture of so and so...I also included a little story...and sometimes that interested them,,,and when  Remembrance Day comes I post a picture and a store of their service with each picture,,and now alot have decided to pick up the ball and run with it,,we now have 6,,,or 7,,,all interested and doing the history, and trading pictures, stories,,and information.

Comments

Rita!! I love that!!!

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Brilliant idea! I think I will try it on my family.

Answer 4

I post old photos on Facebook.  It gets the family members talking.  :-)

Answer 5

I have been interested in genealogy and history for over 30 years. I can't seem to get my family interested in it. I finally have been showing them pictures of our ancestors. The other day I showed my mom pictures of her grandparents that she had never seen. She really seemed interested for the first time.

Answer 6

From Family reunions!

Comments

The fact that several of our ancestors were famous:  Georgia O'Keeffe, Buckminster Fuller (a Mayflower descendant), Patrick Henry, R J Reynolds, Zachary Harrison, Princess Diana, Sir Boyle Roche a/k/a Tiger Roche, Dorothy Kilgallen and lots of others.

I have had ancestors on both sides of the civil war, as well.

Answer 7

Storytelling. We tell our family history by stories and pictures when available. I am the family historian for my generation. I use social media when we arent together.

Answer 8

My husband is really interested in the stories I find about his ancestors- soldiers executed in WWII, sex scandals in the 1600's, witches on trial - but then when I don't tell him something for a while because I am working on my own tree he starts asking when I am going to work on his or how his tree is coming along... so his interest is high as long as I do all the work! 

Answer 9

I had to resort to restraining them, making them spit in a vial like I was milking snakes, and then subjected my captive audience to me going on and on for hours on end about their umpteenth cousin somehow removed doing whatever they did.


I am joking – In reality they all have had varying degrees of interest to begin with.


My father and paternal grandparents, who unfortunately have been gone for some time now,  would have been ecstatic with what I have been able to find out and my extended paternal line family (cousins and such) are really into it. I get a few e-mails a week regarding things that have been discovered or questions about some mystery. I am communicating with them now more that I ever did when I was a kid. In that case I guess you could say the family history has brought the family closer together!


My Mother, who is from Denmark, is sort of indifferent about it most of the time. She seems to show interest just because I have an interest in it. But every once and awhile she will start asking questions about one of her favorite uncle’s or aunt’s or other family member I had researched. She also was intrigued when I found some ancestors that had migrated to the US back in the 1800’s who she grew up hearing distant stories of. That I think of all things brought her families oral history to life for her, it was not just a “story” anymore.


Now – my stepfather,who is pushing 93, he has a keen interest and is always up for new info on his ancestry. Its interesting to see the look on his face when I mention an address or something and he will have some memory come back from his childhood regarding actually having been there at one time. He had long forgotten about it and the long forgotten memory sparks new stories that prove helpful in furthering my research.


I myself have also take a keen interest in his first wife's ancestry as it is so intriguing. Her and her sisters family on all lines going back 4+ generations had all been born in British Colonial India. The descendants of many of them never went back to Britain after India attained home rule. A few remained, but most scattered to the corners of the earth from South Africa and Australia to Hong Kong, New Zealand and the US and Canada. I have become rather good friends with one of his nephews as we have been helping him with looking into his genealogy.

Answer 10

I showed up.

When I did my dna test, I had my birth name and my test, I matched a maternal first cousin who happens to be the family genealogist. Even though no one knew I existed, through his family tree I found my mother, and my half younger brother and a large extended family.

After recovering from the shock of having an older brother (12 years older), my brother has become an avid follower of genealogy and  is calling our cousin for more and more facts on the family.

James

Answer 11

My mother often talked about different members of her maternal family and eventually wrote the different members down by longhand trying to find more about the Irish connections and why they came to Australia. To tidy things up I began typing her work and some of the other relatives began telling their stories.  After her death computers came onto the market making research that much easier. When we needed to relocate I gave my younger brother all the files and he carried on from there in ernest and with much more accuracy. Will my children/ great grand children take over ?? Who knows.

Answer 12

When it comes to my partner I am doing his tree as well as mine, his Mum told me that they were related to Queen Elizabeth II and looking for the connection to her and to the rumoured connection to Ravensworth Castle has interested him.. I have always been a History buff, but then finding one of his ancestors who was at the battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War and finding in my line cousins who were sent to Canada with the British Home Children emigration program and its shocking history has I think kept him interested as well - as long as I am the one doing the work.

Answer 13

My daughter was impressed enough that she is related both to a woman who was hanged as a witch and a man who went to prison for killing a guy in a bar fight that she tweeted about it.

Answer 14

My mom and both of my brothers are interested in different levels. Mom shares stories about people she knew. My older brother is most interested in my dad’s life and shares thing he’s either learned about dad or stories dad told him.

My younger brother is the one that is really interested! His Ancestry tree has lots of information I have not yet entered. His particular interest in Civil War history has helped, particularly with my company free space page.

A cousin has become interested in a branch of our family and asked me for help. Little did she know just how much “stuff” I had!

Answer 15

A lot my family got into genealogy to find cousins that been lost. Others to find various family members they not meet. Some like to find out about the NXK2.5 gene mutation in our family so it a medical search. If they could have it in thier lines. Cardiomyopathy is a big one in our family so been searching death records for heart issues here. I learned lots stuff about family medically. And some searching for our Native American heritage as there stories from 5-6 generations back in lines. This search been amazing as found so much on people and hints to stuff in stories being Actully true. But all I found starting trend in family of searching and finding stuff.

Billie

Answer 16

Talking about my family trees discoveries has brought back memories for older family members, which has led to them providing me with more information. I have also told my sister, a high school teacher, about transcribing graves and visiting cemeteries as an idea for her geography and history classes