After you have gathered as much about your parents as you can, you are ready to tackle the third generation: your grandparents. If you can, visit your grandparents. Repeat this type of interview asking the same questions about your parents. Be prepared this time to take notes. Grandparents have richer memories of their families. They listened at the dinner table better. You can do these interviews together with spouses. Doing separate interviews isn’t as productive at this age. Couples at this age share so many memories that whatever one has forgotten, the other remembers. Listen to how the stories are sooo different from what your parents told you. Get as many dates and places about their parents and grandparents as you can.
Just like you did before. Go home and rewrite the group sheets, adding correctons, adding generations, and especially write down the stories. This may the last chance to record the words of this generation. Highlight missing dates and places. Now you have a solid base to work up a family tree chart. It is easy to download a preprinted four generation chart from online.
Third and fourth generation information is tougher to get. Once you have exhausted your opportunities for getting first-hand information you will still have a lot of highlighted blanks to fill in. Don’t give up. There are always ways to fill in missing blanks. Documents are more in the public domain for this generation. Obituaries can be found if you know where to look. But there is better source of collected information: the Keeper of the Keys.
In the old English manors, it was not the Lord or Lady who kept the household running, paid the bills and kept the secrets. It was the housekeeper who held that power. She had keys to every door in the castle. In every family, if you’re lucky, you can find the one person who has taken on the responsibility of keeping the family tree: the keeper of the keys. The great aunt who keeps a shoe box full of newspaper clippings, family postcards, pictures and other treasure. Sometimes you can find an uncle who has already saved what he has on a computer. Someday, you could be that person, so do it right!
Now is the time to find the relative who is the Keeper of the Knowledge. Someone who can help you fill in the blanks. We will cover that in the next issue.
Ed Peck can be reached thru this newspaper and also the White River Museum on Park Ave. He available for guidance at no cost. Contributions to the museum are encouraged.
By Ed Peck
Special to the Herald Times
