1901 census document for the Currans in Drumphea
Everybody has a different story to tell, but I can only share with you my own experience.
First thing to do is to write down everything you know about the older individuals in your family, and what you know about the deceased ones, where everyone is now, to the best of your knowledge, and potentially what they can tell you.
After doing that, then you need to speak to the individuals that you feel are important in what information they can give you.
You should treat these situations as you would an interview, firstly you must send warning that you are coming a few days in advance, so as to get the person thinking about what they can pass onto you, or to give them time to show you photographs, letters, documents and the like. It is also very important that you have any documents, records, photographs or memorabilia to hand of the family which you are discussing with them, as it will definitely jog there memory into other things, that maybe quite important. other things that would be very handy would be a laptop computer, a printer scanner, and some kind of voice recording device. The latter being very important as you can listen back a few times after to transcribe the conversation, and maybe pick up on anything you may had missed if you were scribbling into a notepad. Technology has really revolutionised genealogy.
Next you should have written out a list of questions, because if you go there and you don't do this, I can guarantee you that you will walk away and later you'll think of a question that you thought of, that you forgot to ask.
here is a list of suggested questions;
- What is your full name? Why did your parents select this name for you? Did you have a nickname?
- When and where were you born?
- How did your family come to live there?
- Were there other family members in the area? Who?
- What was the house (apartment, farm, etc.) like? How many rooms? Bathrooms? Did it have electricity? Indoor plumbing? Telephones?
- Were there any special items in the house that you remember?
- What is your earliest childhood memory?
- Describe the personalities of your family members.
- What kind of games did you play growing up?
- What was your favorite toy and why?
- What was your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, beach, etc.)?
- Did you have family chores? What were they? Which was your least favorite?
- Did you receive an allowance? How much? Did you save your money or spend it?
- What was school like for you as a child? What were your best and worst subjects? Where did you attend grade school? High school? College?
- What school activities and sports did you participate in?
- Do you remember any fads from your youth? Popular hairstyles? Clothes?
- Who were your childhood heroes?
- What were your favorite songs and music?
- Did you have any pets? If so, what kind and what were their names?
- What was your religion growing up? What church, if any, did you attend?
- Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper?
- Who were your friends when you were growing up?
- What world events had the most impact on you while you were growing up? Did any of them personally affect your family?
- Describe a typical family dinner. Did you all eat together as a family? Who did the cooking? What were your favorite foods?
- How were holidays (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) celebrated in your family? Did your family have special traditions?
- How is the world today different from what it was like when you were a child?
- Who was the oldest relative you remember as a child? What do you remember about them?
- What do you know about your family surname?
- Is there a naming tradition in your family, such as always giving the firstborn son the name of his paternal grandfather?
- What stories have come down to you about your parents? Grandparents? More distant ancestors?
- Are there any stories about famous or infamous relatives in your family?
- Have any recipes been passed down to you from family members?
- Are there any physical characteristics that run in your family?
- Are there any special heirlooms, photos, bibles or other memorabilia that have been passed down in your family?
- What was the full name of your spouse? Siblings? Parents?
- When and how did you meet your spouse? What did you do on dates?
- What was it like when you proposed (or were proposed to)? Where and when did it happen? How did you feel?
- Where and when did you get married?
- What memory stands out the most from your wedding day?
- How would you describe your spouse? What do (did) you admire most about them?
- What do you believe is the key to a successful marriage?
- How did you find out your were going to be a parent for the first time?
- Why did you choose your children's names?
- What was your proudest moment as a parent?
- What did your family enjoy doing together?
- What was your profession and how did you choose it?
- If you could have had any other profession what would it have been? Why wasn't it your first choice?
- Of all the things you learned from your parents, which do you feel was the most valuable?
- What accomplishments were you the most proud of?
- what would most like to be remembered for?
Now i'm not saying that you should use these to the book, just use the ones to suit the person. I have found that generally after 90 minutes, they will either start to go stale after to much bombardment with questions, or they just had enough of talking"shop" It is also handy to chit chat, even though you just want the info, as this breaks the interview up.
The world wide web, is a really great source for looking for all sorts of resources, you could save yourself alot of travelling time, and money, by just spending time looking for certain things.
My target families are 95% irish so Ireland is my target all the time, some of the government departments publish there records, take a look at my links page, there are plenty of sites there.
Go to the relevent archive offices, in ireland the national archives, the national library are two good ones, there are people in both these places who will help you to a certain extent, they'll get you started.
The church of the latter day saints, are dedicated to family history, for reasons of their religeon. They hold much records in their family centres, which are found in most big cities in the western hemisphere. The one in Dublin holds lots of civil records, and some other medical and police records as well as census for 1901. They are the most helpful people I have met, and when I started out in this venture, they were the people who put me very much on the right track.
Graveyards are very good too, if you can get to the relevent one that is great, but if you can't, sometimes there are lists on the web, and pictures of the graves too. There was a great aunt that i was told of, who went to america, but no one really knew anymore than that. I put her name on google as well as graves and USA, and guess what? Yep, there she was on a grave list! so then I contacted the local historical society in that place, and for a small fee, they done a local search, and i got a bundle of information on her and her family.
Local parish offices are worth a try, for more recent BMD's that may have taken place in their church. Most larger graveyards would have an office, which you could ask where your relative is.
No matter what anyone tells you or what you read on the web, it is not an easy downhill slide, and can be very sticky at times, In the couple of years doing my own family, which I have still a long way to go, it has been an uphill slog, and it doe's not come to you, you have to go out and ask. I wish you luck, and if i can ever offer any help or advice just drop me a line at
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