Feature articles in this issue:

Genealogy: History on a Personal Scale

Miller Family Look Left  Five generations of the Miller family pose in 1916. Seated: Theresia Keller Miller (born 1833) holding her great-great granddaughter Louise Garbe (born 1915). Standing: Ida Welling Hoffman (born 1878), Sophia Miller Welling (born 1853), and Lucille Hoffman Garbe (born 1897). Photograph loaned by Michael Sibbersen.

There are nearly as many reasons for the study of family history as there are people who pursue it. Almost one-half of the researchers using the resources at the Center for Archival Collections are family historians. Every family's history reflects in some way the history of the larger society around it. For this reason, genealogy can make historical events more meaningful.

The accompanying article explains how to begin the hunt for your family's "roots." Pedigree charts and family group sheets can be compiled from the raw data gathered from government records. Other sources and techniques need to be used to put the data into human terms. Teachers may want to try a project to get their students thinking about 20th century events and how they affected the students' families. While it would not be possible for most students to trace their family trees farther back than their grandparents' or great-grandparents' generation in a short amount of time, the students can learn much about the personal side of history by asking a few questions of the appropriate family members:

  1. Where and when were you born? Where and when were you married? Did anything funny or sad happen at the time?
  2. When did you start school? How many children were in a classroom? Who were your best friends?
  3. What did you do for fun? Do you remember any special games, books, or movies?
  4. Tell about your house. Where was it? What did it look like?
  5. How many brothers and sisters did you have? (Names, birthdates) Did you have any pets? What were they and what were their names?
  6. Did you go on any special trips? Where?
  7. Were you in the military? Where did you serve? Did anything funny or sad happen during that time?
  8. How did you and your husband/wife meet? What did you do on dates?
  9. What do you remember best about your parents?
  10. Do you know any very old family stories?

Students who are aware of some of the events of 20th century history before they begin their interviews will find this background helpful when they talk to their older relatives. Events which may have had an impact on their families include World War I, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, World War II, the Baby Boom, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, women entering the workforce, changes in transportation, communication, technology, and so on. Not every family is affected in the same way by the same events, and the students may enjoy sharing their favorite stories back in the classroom.

These questions can also be a good basis for any family historian beginning interviews with older relatives. Events which may have had an impact on their families include World War I, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, World War II, the Baby Boom, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, women entering the workforce, changes in transportation, communication, technology, and so on. Not every family is affected in the same way by the same events, and the students may enjoy sharing their favorite stories back in the classroom.

These questions can also be a good basis for any family historian beginning interviews with older family members or distant cousins. Remember: if you plan to tape record interviews, make sure you've practiced with the machine before you begin, and have plenty of power and extra tapes. Label the tapes with the names of the people at each interview and the place and date of the session. Transcribe the tape as soon as possible. Talk with other family historians to learn more about their interview techniques.

This is just one approach to enriching the study of family history. It can be an immensely rewarding search for people of all ages.

--Lee N. McLaird

THE PHOTOGRAPH IN THIS ISSUE is an example of one source of information that can be used to document family history.