by Jessica Hughey

Created on: November 13, 2009   Last Updated: November 14, 2009

Family history and genealogy research can be fascinating. It can give one a glimpse into an earlier time and can provide clues to your own heritage. It can help to answer many questions, which can range from the more mundane, such as "Why are my eyes brown?" or "Why does my hair have this texture?" to the more critical questions, such as, "Is there a history of breast cancer or some other disease in my family tree?" The answers to some of these questions may be found within you own family and, indeed, may be sitting across the table from you this Thanksgiving.

The stories told by our grandparents and other elderly relatives may seem boring when we are young, but they can lend invaluable insight into your family history. Colorful tales of times gone by, descriptions of eccentric relatives and interesting anecdotes describing family events can provide important clues to the times in which your ancestors lived and the ways in which they conducted their lives. These stories can give you a sense of being there, in the moment, from when your parent was born to the time Uncle Jim tipped over the rowboat. Writing this information down is very important, for a couple of reasons.

Your grandparents won't be around forever, unfortunately. They won't always be there for you to ask questions of or to relate those family stories. Then, all opportunity to glean any usable information from them will be gone and you will be left wishing you'd asked more questions or listened more intently to their stories. Grasp the opportunity to interview these elderly relatives and to record their reminiscences, as they arise. Even if the information does not seem important, at the time, it may prove to be invaluable, later.

In addition, even though our grandparent's stories may not be completely factual, due to foggy memories or stories which have been embellished along the way, while being handed down from generation to generation, their stories can, at the very least, give you a starting point for your own research. Writing down the memories of your grandparents may give you clues which, at first, might seem inconsequential to you, but may prove to be just the information you needed to jump from one generation to the next or to find that wandering relative's birth origins.

To derive the most benefit from your grandparent's stories, be sure to write down everything, from the color of Great Grandma's dress to the stains on Great Grandpa's shirts. They may provide clues you can use later on. For instance, what did Great Grandpa do for a living? Are those stains on his shirt from working in a coal mine or cooking in a diner? When these bits of information are added to actual, factual research, the result is a complete and cohesive picture of your family history.

In genealogy research, information builds upon information. One fact may lead you to another and so on down your family line. One caveat is in order, however: never take anything said by anyone at face value, unless you have verifiable records to back it up. The slightest bit of incorrect information, when added to your family tree as fact, may lead your research in an entirely different - and incorrect - direction. As long as you learn to use the stories of your elderly relatives as an addition to your family history research, rather than as fact, you will be pleasantly surprised at the things you may learn about your family history.

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