Since I’m a busy gal it looks like I’m just getting around to wrapping up Week 2 of my Do-over.  I was surprised at the time it took for me to do my self interview.  I’m not one who really talks about myself much, but in the 40 years I’ve been around… I’ve done a lot of stuff!  The week 2 tasks from Thomas were:

1. Setting Research Goals
2. Conducting Self Interview
3. Conducting Family Interviews

While I have been contemplating this process there are a ton of excellent blog posts out there describing the processes that they will be using.  You can read for yourself over at Bag The Web: Genealogy Do-Over. Here are my thoughts on the different tasks for this “week” and what I focused on.

1) Setting Research Goals

I’ve had a very scattered approach over the years.  As is often the case I tend to follow my current interest in my ancestors and don’t really have a rhyme or reason.  That’s something that is going to change from now on.  First of all, I’m going to do separate research goals for the four major branches of my tree and the two adopted ones for my step-family.   Here’s an overview of my goals for each line.

ALFORD- Find my military ancestors in this line.  I believe I have Civil War Ancestors at the very least.

MORSE- Find my military ancestors in this line.

CLIFFORD- Find their immigration information and where they came from overseas.

KRUEGER- Find where Great Great Grandma Zipe was buried in Israel.  Find out if Myer had sisters and where their family lines ended up.

2) Conducting Self Interview

I’m still working on this one, but for the sake of noting the kinds of things I’m writing about here is the list in a nutshell.

Birth

Parents/Grandparent memories

Family residences

Schools attended

Family milestones- births of siblings, marriages, divorces, deaths

Work resume

Organizations

Stories of important and favorite memories

3) Conducting Family Interviews

While I have interviewed a few members of my family I have identified several that I would like to do a more in-depth series of interviews.

People to interview: mom & dad, step dad, step grandparents, second cousins on my mom’s side

What do I want to ask?!

Their childhood.  What their parents were like?  What do you remember of your grandparents? Places they have lived and jobs they have held. And so much more!

I will be sure to record the interviews so that later I can listen to them again and learn more from them.  I also plan to share them with that particular side of the family.  I think this is something that I want to do a lot more of over the years.  After all, it may spur more questions and stories along the way!