I'm going to be at a rainy cottage all weekend with 3 senior citizens: my dad, aunt, and uncle. I want my non-talkative dad and his sister to reminisce about their childhoods, but I suspect my aunt's talkative husband will dominate the conversation. If that happens, Dad and Aunt won't talk much. How can I encourage them to reminisce without hurting my uncle's feelings? [more inside]
posted by twistofrhyme on Sep 30, 2009 - 11 answers

I'm preparing for a massive personal archiving/interviewing trip with my grandparents and need advice regarding many aspects of the project. [more inside]
posted by ikahime on Aug 18, 2009 - 8 answers

I'm doing a family tree. As part of doing this, I'm trying to trace the ancestors of my maternal grandfather, Lawrence Fortin. The problem is that not only did he die before I was born (in the 40s), as it turns out he was adopted by the Fortin family. The question is, where on earth do I begin in finding records on Lawrence Fortin and who his biological family was? [more inside]
posted by azieger on Dec 15, 2008 - 4 answers

If my maternal grandfather was my (alleged?) great-grandfather's biological son, why would his last name be different from both of his parents'? [more inside]
posted by dumbledore69 on Sep 25, 2007 - 11 answers

Familytreefilter: Okay, so my mother's brother's wife's sister's daughter had a child. What is his relation to me? What's his mother's relation to me? [more inside]
posted by carpyful on Apr 19, 2007 - 26 answers

Why is Marat Safin's sister's last name Safina? I know they are Russian but adding an 'A' to a daughter's last name is not a Russian tradition that I know of, anyone?
posted by Cosine on Sep 6, 2006 - 8 answers

Need High-Res image of one particular Dawes Roll page. I have a low-res image, but I can't read some of the words. Longish story within. [more inside]
posted by vanoakenfold on Aug 12, 2006 - 6 answers

Has anyone ever done the National Geographic Genographic Project ?? [more inside]
posted by beccaj on Jul 11, 2006 - 11 answers

How can I get my hands on a Vienna phonebook from circa 1938? I will be spending a weekend in Vienna next month, and I would love to see the apartment where my late grandfather lived before fleeing the Nazis. Unfortunately, nobody in the family knows the address, and there aren't any letters or other documents to provide it. Things are also complicated by the fact that I won't be visiting on a weekday, so any archives that might have this information will presumably be closed. Plus, I don't speak German. Am I out of luck, or is there any way to track this information down in the next few weeks?
posted by yankeefog on Oct 18, 2005 - 38 answers

Geneology/Census Question: Any way to find out how many humans of Nth generation live in a state. For example, how many 6th generation Arizonans are there?
posted by BrodieShadeTree on Nov 10, 2004 - 1 answer

GenealogyTilYourEyesGlazeOverFilter: Trying to figure out (and this page just confuses me more) the whole "second cousin" and the whole "cousin x removed" thing. (more family relationships inside) [more inside]
posted by WolfDaddy on Oct 30, 2004 - 12 answers