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I agree. I never would have gotten into it at all, if not for some off handed comment my mother made about her great grandfather being the daughter of some dignitary (which we still can't prove/debunk!). Before, years ago, my mom tried to get my siblings and me interested in our father's ancestry, but we couldn't be bothered.johnnyonthespot wrote:Every genealogical researcher has similar stories to tell; not just of older generations not being interested, but also siblings and our own children as well.
I think that genealogy is a passion which cannot be understood until you have tasted it, sort of like escargot - which I am told by people who partake that they are wonderful; nevertheless, I have no intention of ever putting one of them in my mouth.
That's snails, right? I hear people eat pancreas, too, and cow tongue. It's amazing what people will stuff down their throats !johnnyonthespot wrote: I think that genealogy is a passion which cannot be understood until you have tasted it, sort of like escargot - which I am told by people who partake that they are wonderful; nevertheless, I have no intention of ever putting one of them in my mouth.
I agree. Age has nothing to do with it. Some people start as young as 12 and others at 70. It just depends on whether you "get the bug" or not.maestra36 wrote:I don't think it's true that older relatives are not interested in family history, nor do I think age has anything to do with an interest in the subject.
My mother's one first cousin was well into his 70s when I was first put into contact with him by another cousin's wife. He had already compiled a lot of family history info because his grandchildren were asking him questions. My being in contact with him got an entire group of her first cousins into the research. My maternal grandmother who was born in 1893, and died in 1988, still has two first cousins (sisters) in their 90s, who are alive and living in California. The one had actually posted on genealogy message boards when she was in her 80s, which is how I first made contact with them. They were even thrilled to find stories about themselves in the old Poughkeepsie, NY newspapers, when I sent them the Old Fulton History website. My dad died a year before I started my research, and my mom wasn't very interested until right before she died in 2004. At that point, she started rattling off all kinds of family stories for me to record. My husband hates genealogy and thinks it's a complete waste of time and money, but his three younger brothers (in their 50s) are now asking me all kinds of questions about their ancestry. My sons are in their upper 20s and so far only my older son has shown any interest. He is mainly interested in my father's World War II experiences with the First Special Services Force. It was this son, however, who told me that he would never look at the documents, but would only be interested in the family history if it were in book form. That's what prompted me to start to write a book more than a year ago, of which I now have some 320 pages written
I've gotten info from other older relatives over the years. Some sent me old photos and shared stories. Although they initially saw no point to the research, I think they were lonely because they were widowed, and the family history information gave them someone with whom to communicate and something to look forward to, as I found new information and asked for their input.
I now have first cousins who are very interested, as well as one aunt, in her early 70s, and and one uncle, almost 80. I also have my mom's oldest friend, now 91, who is very interested. She knew my mom from the time they were both 4 years old and knew my mom's father, brother, and paternal grandmother, who all died before I was born and I never knew. She has been a wealth of information concerning my mom’s paternal ancestry.
Personally I don't think an interest in family history has anything to do with age. Some people like me just love to do research and to keep discovering more new information. I always thought that by now I would have lost interest in this research, but every new piece of information, regardless of how small, still sends me over the edge. My motivation has never been about getting dual citizenship. It’s always been about knowing my ancestry and who I really am.
I'd love to get the whole family over to the ancestral commune. So far I'm the only one to make the trip. Maybe that would inspire them to learn more about our history.thegreypigeon wrote:You are so right. My remaining elder relatives keep everything a secret as if they are one up. They have many photographs which they keep to themselves. What I found out shows that their stories are false but I know they wouldn't appreciate soem home truths.
The good thing is that the rest of my siblings have become hooked and are even discussing a trip to The old country.