Saturday, October 22, 2016

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Childhood Interest in Family and Genealogy

Ah, a subject near and dear to my heart!  For Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, Randy Seaver (via Jacquie Schattner) is asking whether we showed interest in genealogy as children:

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.

2 comments:

  1. 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.

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    Replies
    1. One 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.

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