More Living Columnists

• Dolores Sanchez Badillo: The view from the fenceline
• Mary Penner: Learning about your past is an awesome journey
• Steve Brewer: Goofy fads can hold fond memories for families

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation
• Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

You've combed through the boxes of papers and pictures stuffed at the back of the closet. You've written down all you remember about your ancestors. Now, you're ready for the next step in sprouting your family tree - interviewing the relatives.

Consider who in your extended family is likely to know the family lore. The most logical choice usually lands on your oldest relatives.

Whether you're interviewing the old relatives or the younger generations, avoid these interview snafus.

The Ambush Interview - Don't reach for the phone as soon as your done reading this and expect your flustered relatives to spontaneously pluck dates and names from their cobwebby memories.

Tell your relatives you're gathering genealogy data, and then set up an appointment time for your visit or phone call. Yet, be prepared with questions before the first contact. Great-Aunt Isabel might eagerly spill the family beans during your first call even though you haven't spoken to her in 30 years.

The "Que Sera, Sera" Interview - Avoid "whatever will be" interviews; be prepared. Put together a list of questions ahead of time. Think about what the interviewee is likely to know and remember. Ask for specifics and avoid questions that can be answered with a frustrating yes or no.

Be open to the rambling-off-the-topic answer because some of the best stuff comes out during a ramble.

The "I'll Remember Everything" Interview - Take notes. Lots of notes. Or better, yet, let technology take notes for you. Use a tape recorder or video camera. Also, take along a portable scanner or copier for those documents folded into the pages of the family Bible.

Don't try to be James Bond and conceal listening devices all around you; be upfront and explain the technology gadgets to your camera-shy relatives. If they balk, settle for the note-taking approach. Don't try to get down every word, just the key points.

The Marathon Interview - People need food and water. They need to stretch their legs and rest their vocal cords. They need to recharge their brain cells.

Don't descend on the home village, spend 10 hours grilling Uncle Rufus, and then expect to rush off and have every family factoid neatly etched onto your tape recorder.

Divide your interviews into reasonable chunks, and know when to stop. No matter how much you poke and prod, they just won't remember some things.

The Accusatory Interview You're not an investigative reporter. Don't try to make your relatives squirm and squash them into an awkward ancestral corner.

Sure, you may have good reason to believe the rumors about your great-grandfather's run-in with the law. But if your relative insists it isn't so or feigns ignorance, don't press him or her. You can get the information from some other source.