It is my endeavor to write an updated version of my family history in 2012. To help get started, I have decided to interview to my mom and her brothers as well as my aunt Hortense and get some of their experiences down in print.
So this morning I started with my mom. I think I may have to polish my interviewing skills some more. My mom was extremely defensive. I tried to explain that if she didn't know the answer it was okay but she seemed to feel I was judging her lack of knowledge. It made the interview very long on excuses and explanations and very short on interesting tidbits. Or is that a tidbit in itself?
My mother doesn't share my curiosity about our ancestors. It may be a generational thing. She was taught not to question her elders and that may also be why she is uncomfortable with me questioning her about our past. That is unfortunate, genealogically speaking. She knows very little about her father's people. She wasn't told much and she didn't ask. That definitely does not describe me. I will keep on digging and asking until I am satisfied no matter how long that takes.
3 comments:
I'm sorry you had such a frustrating experience. Would she talk more freely about her own life and experiences?
Keep at it. My father was the same way but he was always amazed at what I found out about his ancestors.
New reader to your blog - perhaps you can phrase the questions like "what doyou remember about. . ." (Holiday traditions, relatives, who came to visit, etc.) Good luck & keep digging! Wendy from allmybranches.wordpress.com
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