A reminder from 2018: Sometimes we may be tempted to “start over” on a genealogical problem. It’s hard to do that. You can’t unlearn what you think you have discovered and you can’t just forget the information that’s confused you–or at least the conclusions you came to from that information. What you can do is go back and double-check each fact or piece of data to see if you made a mistake. You can determine the source of each piece of data (creating a citation while you do it). You can reanalyze something to see you made an incorrect conclusion or inference. You can make a list of your assumptions. You can learn more about the time period, location, culture, applicable laws, etc. Don’t stress out about going […]
If that relative won’t talk about the past, ask them to share any old recipes they have. They may find talking about food less “intense” than answering family history questions and be more opening to sharing. A discussion of recipes or food in your family’s past may cause them to reveal some details they were initially reluctant to. Sometimes talking about food can get people’s memories stirring–increasing the chance they remember things they might not otherwise have. Try a Genealogy Search on GenealogyBank.
Recent Comments