And now for something off-topic - stories of our parents.....

[DougS]

Another octegenarian in my extended family passed away last week. In this case she was not my relative, but an Aunt to my cousins courtesy of marrying the brother of my father's sister's husband. As such, there is no need to offer me any condolences. While Lottie was a noble lady in all respects, I did not know her all that well - and that mostly from my early childhood.

But it occurred to me that in my extended family - especially from those who were European Immegrants - there are a lot of nick-names that I do not know the stories behind. It then occurred to me that I really know very little about the history of that part of the family. I know the big picture - they had to leave because of Hitler and were fortunate enough to get out in the 1930's.

But beyond that I don't know the stories.

And there are always stories. My dad wrote his down before he died, and his sister has since added corrections and supplements to them.

But those stories die with us if we do not pass them down, and it is so easy to think that because you know them yourself that everyone else does too.

So - I intend to get the stories from my surviving Aunts (I have no surviving Uncles) and my cousins, and get them written down.

And I plan to start writing down my own as well.

 

[Ladoga]

I've been doing genealogy


for more than 40 years now. When I started, lots of grandparents and great aunts/uncles were alive, but THEY hadn't corralled information from their ancestors.

It took me 20 years to discover my link, beyond my grandfather because he was an ornery old grump and no one would ask him to sit down and tell about his parents and grandparents.

Ask them, folks. Spend the time to record data that dies with them.

I think in terms of "memory life". It runs from the birth of the earliest born person who knew you to the death of the latest dying person you know.
This post was edited on 11/12 11:59 AM by Ladoga

 

[toastedbread]

Agree with you...

I have started to get some docs from my grandpa before he passes from the time we came over from Hungary, Poland, etc in the late 1800s. It's really neat and plus I would love to share this with my kids and so forth one day. And to have a historical record of our family, etc.

 

[Ladoga]

Just get an oral history

from him. For each person he names, get p
parents, grandparents, siblings of all those, schools, where he lived, military service, churches, cemeteries and put dates on all those. Include spouses of all and dates of birth, marriage and death.

Every ne of those items can become a clue to you when there is missing information or additional connections needed. Remember, you do not need "proof" to be documents. Sometimes ranges of dates can suffice. I have even used exhaustive searches to prove negatively - i.e. these two people can only be the sons of person X and brothers to each other as no other pair of brothers can be found in any possible areas and times they occupied.

Its a never ending quest, but my goal has always been to get every line back to the sea shore and beyond.