Family Tree

[Guest]

Hi guys (and gals )

 

I've been thinking about becoming a self appointed family historian for my family. I'm horrified that all our history will disappear with my kids' generation. So I'm frantically trying to get people to remember names, dates, events, births, deaths, etc etc. Here's my grand plan. I'm going to be walking around with a tape recorder all the time and anytime anyone says something relevant I'll record it (people tell stories in my family all the time, it's a little scary...lol) Also, I want to do a systematic recording of the chronological history of all the sides of my family (dad's dad, mom's dad, dad's mom, mom's mom, etc etc). To that end, I want to visit everyone with that infamous tape recorder again and get them to tell me everything they know, this time with details. I'm thinking I'll start with my grandma. My dad started an effort when he was a little younger than I am now about his side of the family, so that information should be useful. I'll be writing to my cousins to send me all they have, at least copies. Some of my dad's family's most prized possessions include a magnificent photograph of my great grandmother in her youth that really captures the spirit of the women in this family, as well as a family tree (albeit incomplete) framed in gold...I had a hard time believing it was real gold, but they tell me it is and they're the type of people who wouldn't sell the gold even if they were starving simply because it's a part of their past. So anyway, I feel myself rambling again...lol

 

Ok, this is my main point: I'm going to do this, but I don't even know where to start. Has anyone done anything like this before? Are there any international archives I could look into? What do I do with pictures I want to preserve?(that kodak cd thing sounds good) What do I do with documents? How do I collect the info? How do I classify it?...lol...questions, questions...

 

Knowing me, I'll find the answers anyway, but it'd be really useful to draw on people's experiences.

 

I just realized this might belong in the Help section, so Garik jan, feel free to move it.

 

Gayancho

[Guest]

Gayane,

 

I have thought of doing the same so many times, but I have never approached it with enough determination. Having lost my grandmother recently, the task has become almost impossible now.

 

Good luck with your project and I am sure you will be proud of your work at the end. Dont lose time !!!

 

Aneta

[Guest]

That's quite interesting, because my Aunt has already done it. What she did was get a load of family photos and videos tapes, and stories, old documents, like letters,etc and did her worked on it like that! She also made a video tape of family photos, one after the other, and called it "Though the years" it's a collection of of three or four generations.

 

I found her version a bit sloppy because it was mostly of weddings and family events. But those ides there I think are good.

 

Have you thought of not only doing a family tree, but doing an induvidual's profile for each person? or example, all about them, thier life story, their personality, and do little stories of the couples and how they met! What they do, who gets on and who doesnt (whooa, maybye not that one. or keep it private so as not to start a family feud)

You could even do it as a book, in that case, instead of a whole sheet of paper)

In my case, I have kept a little book that I carry around with me everywhere . If I need to write anything down, like if I feel angry, sad, if I have any ideas that spring to mind like poems or whatever, since I was 10 or 11. And I havent looked back since!

Does get a little annoying when ppl used to ask, "what's that?" but they are used to me now.

 

Get your cousins to send you lots of emails!

 

 

 

[This message has been edited by Kazza (edited December 02, 2000).]

[Guest]

Yeah, Aneta jan, that's exactly what prompted me to try and organize this effort as soon as possible: I know I don't have much time

 

Kazza, that's sort of what I want to do: personality profiles and such, which is where my tape recorder comes into play. Eventually, I'd like to culminate all this in the writing of a family history of sorts, a book. But first I need the hard facts. That idea with the video camera sounds great. I really need to get creative with this

 

(btw, I do have a little notebook like that myself, have had it since I was about 13 or 14)

[Guest]

HOOORAY!

I have met a notebook freak just like myself!! So I am not the only one. Do you take it everywhere like me? I also have a bigger one at home to write so I dont have to write all the private stuff in code (just in case anyone gets hhold of it.. it has hapenned before.)

 

Yepp, try and get the facts as hard as can be. That is where the History lesons come in useful (remeber them?) Like evidence, like old letters, hide you dictafone when you get people talking and such.

[Guest]

Regarding archives:

 

try

 

Project SAVE

Armenian Photographic Archives

PO BOX 236

65 Main Street

Waterton MA 02471-0236

 

This address may not be correct, as they moved last year and this might be the old address.

[Guest]

My Chicana friend began a project similar to yours two years ago. She always takes a recorder to family gatherings and reunions and documents everything she can. Her great grandfather casually one time mentioned Pio Pico the last Mexican governor of California. As the man is a bit senile she thought he was just rambling, but it gave her enough motivation to research records in Whittier, and sure enough it turns out Pio Pico was his great uncle!