
Genealogy can provide your elderly loved one with a comforting sense of 'place' in history. Luckily there are some simple steps you can take to start your research.
Helping your elderly parent with their family tree
Many people reach a point in their life when they want to find out more about their family history and ancestors. In recent years, researching your family tree has become increasingly popular and there have been whole television series devoted to finding out more about people's origins. If this wish occurs to one of your elderly parents, there are some very simple steps you can take to start finding the answers. Before you start, you will need:- Extensive notes made from the living memory of your elderly loved one
- A cup of tea
- A box of kleenex
Open-ended questions
Asking the right, open-ended questions is key to uncovering a wealth of family history.
A good starting point to help an elderly parent researching their family tree is by asking them for any information which they can remember about their own life. Questions could include:
- What do you know about your family surname?
- When and where were you born?
- Were there other family members in the area, and if so, who?
- What is your earliest childhood memory?
- Who were your friends when you were growing up?
- Who is the oldest relative you remember as a child?
- What were the full names of your parents and grandparents, including maiden names?
Using the internet to research
Searching online can be a good place to start, as there's a wide range of websites offering to help, but be aware whilst some information may be free, other websites may charge. To get you started there's a wealth of information that can be found on the following websites:- www.bbc.co.uk/familyhistory
- www.gov.org