I find that doubtful.
While I completely understand not knowing how to get started on family history, there is usually something you can do to better understand your family history.
Malachi's promise states that the Lord "will turn the heart of the children to their fathers." It also states that He will "turn the heart of the fathers to the children." I feel that this can mean a great number of things, not just making sure their temple work is done. If your heart has turned to your fathers, these are some things that you may do:
- Learn their names.
- Learn about where they lived and what they did for work.
- Find out what they looked like
- Learn about their children, brothers and sisters
- Help them receive essential saving temple ordinances
- Make your own life story accessible to future generations. This applies even if you don't have children.
There are several ways you can accomplish these things.
- Find records that document information about them and their lives. Bookmark, print out, or find another way to connect that record to your ancestor for your (and your posterity's) future reference
- Ask family members (including extended family members) for pictures and make digital copies
- Print out pictures that you have and display them in your home, whether in frames or in a photo album (I think a photo book would be a really classy way to do this)
- Talk to your living "fathers" about their lives and the lives of their family members. I will include questions that may be appropriate to ask them below.
- Go through old pictures with family members and label them with the correct names.
- Keep a journal, blog, or record your own story by recording it or writing it down - can be in segments or all together. Even a partial record is better than none.
- Take and save pictures of yourself at various points in your life.
So, unless you are familiar with your ancestor's names, have gathered all family photos, found all documents about your ancestors before 1850, have all of your parents' and grandparents' stories, labeled all family pictures, and recorded your own personal history, I have good news for you! there are still things you can do to contribute to family history work that are pretty easy to do.
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Prompts suitable for interviewing older generations (and be sure to encourage story telling and tangents as you get this information):
- Describe your mother (father, grandparents)
- What did you admire the most about your mother (father, grandfather, grandmother)?
- What did you dislike the most about your mother (father, grandfather, grandmother)?
- What was the physical appearance of your mother (father, grandfather, grandmother)? Eye/hair color, tall/short, etc.
- Describe a typical Sunday.
- Describe a typical work day
- Describe a perfect summer day
- Describe a typical school day
- Who was your favorite aunt/uncle? Why?
- Did you hitchhike?
- Describe a trip you went on with family (visiting family, moving, for a vacation, etc)
- How did you meet your spouse?
- Describe your siblings.
- What did your father/mother do for work?
- What was your favorite thing to eat?
- What were your parents' views on faith and worship?
- Why do you belong to your current faith system? Why did you change from your parents' (if the person you're interviewing converted to another faith)?
- Did your family have a garden? What was your favorite thing about it?
- What kinds of things did you do together as a family? Did you play games, talk, cook?
- How did your family dress? What kind of clothes did people wear back then?
- What was your parents' opinion on college?
- Did you ever meet someone famous or semi-famous?
- What did your family do for Christmas? Easter? 4th of July? Thanksgiving? Other holidays?
- How are you like your mother? your father?
- Was there any special thing that you did just with your father/mother?
- Did you do anything special together as a family?
- How were the children expected to help with the farm and other work?
- What was the chore you liked to do best?
- Were there hired hands on the farm? Sharecroppers?
- Describe the places that you lived and why you moved (if you moved)
- What was your favorite thing to do with each of your siblings?
- What did you do with your pets if you had any?
- Describe what it was like to go to the movies.
- What was your favorite thing to do?
- Did you or your family gather wild food (nuts, berries, grapes)?
- What was your first job?
- List the jobs you've had throughout your life
- Describe your relationships with your various neighbors throughout your life
- What is your favorite invention from your lifetime?
- What event during your lifetime had the greatest impact on the world/your country? Why?
- Where did you go to school? (grade school, high school, college)
- Did you play sports?
- Who were your closest childhood friends? What did you do together?
