5 Simple Rules



* Contact them first - DON'T just turn up on their doorstep, cassette recorder in hand. Get their permission to do the interview

and be honest about why you would like to speak to them.

* Be careful not to offend them by asking questions that maybe too personal or of a very sensitive nature. Some people will

answer any question you throw at them whereas others will be more guarded. Obviously if you already have a close

relationship with Uncle George, he will be quite relaxed in talking to you. Aunty Madge however, who you wouldn't know if you

fell over her, is not as likely to be so forthcoming in laying out the laundry, clean or otherwise, of the family!

* It's important to have a list of questions ready. You may not ask them all or you may need to alter the focus of some during

the interview, but you should have a list of core questions ready. Why? Because this will ensure that you don't forget anything

important and secondly it gives the impression that you actually know what you are doing. Dithering and looking up at the

ceiling every 5 minutes trying to remember what to ask next does not inspire confidence and will likely make the interviewee

uncomfortable.

* DON'T outstay your welcome. You are the only one that can judge when that might be.

* Show your appreciation for their time by either presenting them with a small gift or simply saying those magic words,

"thank you".

Verify Or Else

Family interviews are a fantastic way to fill in the gaps in your family trees, and will provide far more information than you could

ever glean from a marriage certificate. The quality and detail can be extraordinary and enlightening, BUT don't

accept everything Uncle George says as being entirely accurate. His "true story" may not be true at all.

THE FIRST RULE IN GENEALOGY IS VERIFY - wherever

possible. The truth can be stretched, twisted, bent and made to disappear altogether. That doesn't mean Uncle George is

lying, he may just be repeating what he was told by someone else or may have forgotten the details over time.

My Story

Here is an example of just such a point from my own family history. It is very illustrative of the need, when researching family

trees, for accurate information.

My great-grandfather George BURLS came out from England and settled in rural Victoria, Australia. My grandmother, his

youngest daughter, always said that he was a detective and that he solved a murder investigation in a nearby town. Well, that

was all I had to go on. Firstly if THERE was a murder the local newspaper was the place to start. I knew I would have to go

back to the early 1900's because my great-grandfather died in 1919 aged 70.

Back at about that time a water reservoir

called the Waranga Basin was being excavated and so there was a great influx of workers around the area. Two of the workers

living in the tent city that sprung up were James Edwards and William Skinner. They were friends but Skinner got drunk one

night and attacked Edwards with a shovel. He defended himself with a nearby axe and killed Skinner. Fearing the police would

not believe it was self-defence, Edwards proceeded to cut up the body, placed the parts in hessian bags and threw them into

the basin. The parts were later found and an investigation ensued. All these details I got from a newspaper, The Rushworth

Chronicle of 1905.

George BURLS and his son Alfred were rabbit trapping, which was their occupation, when they were approached by the culprit,

Edwards, who they both knew from another job site where they had previously worked together. Edwards denied ever knowing

them and said he

wanted to buy some tobacco.

He did so then left. They were both called to give evidence at the subsequent trial. End of story!

The above are the facts of the case. My grandmothers version was somewhat more elaborate, granting my great-grandfather,

who by the way only had one eye, with the tracking down and apprehension of Edwards. But again, she may have just been

repeating what she had been told.

Handy Interviewing Questions

Okay, so here are some sample questions to get your family trees talking. These are in addition to the mandatory ones such

as names,

dates of birth, marriage death etc.

1. Describe your childhood - relationship with parents, siblings.

2. The greatest joy of your childhood was .......?

3. As a child, what was your worst fear?

4. What was your father's occupation and what was the quality of your life like as a child?

5. How would you describe your parents and or grandparents - physical characteristics and qualities?

6. What is the most pleasant memory you have of your parents and or grandparents?

7. What was the dumbest thing you ever did as a child?

8. What was your most memorable holiday?

9. What was one thing that attracted you to your spouse? Why?

10. What was the most difficult moment for you as a parent?

11. What one thing would you change in your role as a parent?

12. What would you like your children to most remember about you?

13. What was your greatest fear as a parent?

14. What activities do you enjoy?

15. What do you find really annoying in other peoples actions or characteristics?

Play with the questions. Add to them if you wish. They are just to get you thinking.

Good hunting!

Wayne Thomas has a website for beginners at