Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission: Impossible music, please!):
(1) When you reflect back, as a child, do you now see things that you did then that show your interest in knowing extended family and/or your future interest in genealogy?
(2) Share your response in a comment on this blog post, in your own blog post (and provide a link in a comment on this post), or on Facebook or Google+.
I was interested in family history as a young child, because my mother and grandmother talked about family members all the time. I knew names, birth dates, anniversary dates, relationships, and more. My grandmother told me her father's original name (which made looking for him on a passenger list a lot easier). My mother was close to her family, and I knew my grandparents, uncles, and cousins. They all lived close enough that we saw them somewhat regularly. I met more family members, including my grandmother's siblings and their children, on a visit to Florida for a wedding. There was lots of communication back and forth with cards and letters.
My father was not close to his family, but I did know his parents and two of his sisters, along with many cousins. I don't think I ever met his oldest sister. In contrast to my mother's family, I didn't even know my grandfather had siblings until after the second one had died.
When I was 13, a junior-high-school assignment to do my family tree back four generations cemented my already existing interest in family history. I still have the original purple mimeographed tree and the notes I took while interviewing family members. (One of these days I need to dig that out to scan it and show it off!)
So I've been addicted to genealogy for 41 years, and counting. As a habit, I could have made far worse choices.
I think it is really neat that you have been involved in family history all of your life. I know I get a lot of enjoyment out of my research.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best things about being interested in family history at such a young age is that most of my older relatives were still alive, and I was able to talk to them and ask questions about their families. I count myself very lucky for that.
Delete