Today, many genealogists have created online blogs that they use to talk about their research, post family photos, and share family stories. I have a suggestion for a topic that will give you a lot of material to work with. Ask your family members where they were when a significant event happened, and write down their stories.
There are certain events that are so shocking, and so tragic, that they cannot be forgotten. Sometimes, those events affect an entire nation, (if not the entire world). People remember exactly where they were, and what they were doing, right before they found out that a specific event had happened.
Genealogists can collect these stories from their family members. This will give blogging genealogists lots of material to work with. It is also a good way to make connections with your living family members who tell you their stories. Their experience may have changed their life, or their outlook in life, in an irreversible way. It might have inspired them to do something amazing.
Here are a few starter questions that genealogists who blog can ask their relatives about. I would suggest collecting the stories of at least three family members, and would look for relatives who were not together when the event occurred. This should give you some very interesting perspectives.
Where were you on September 11th? This answer to this question will be fresh in the minds of your relatives. No matter where you were, the day had a surreal quality. Don’t forget to ask your relatives about the events that happened a few days later, (such as moments of silence that entire towns participated in). Ask them what changed after that day.
Where were you when John F. Kennedy died? This is another question that people will be able to give you a clear response to. It happened on live television, which was incredibly shocking at the time. People were absolutely stunned that the President of the United States had been shot. Ask your relatives where they were when they heard what happened, and how the people around them reacted to the news.
On a more positive note, it would be interesting to ask your relatives who have attended an Olympics to tell you about it. What events did they watch? Who did they go with? See if they have any photos or souvenirs from the Olympics that they attended. This might be a good question to ask your relative to lighten the mood after asking them one of the more serious questions.
Image by Peter Harrison on Flickr