They Just Want the Story!

Sort Your Story creator, Lorel Kapke recently related an experience with her family to me as we discussed family stories.

She said her family members are not interested in research. She meant they don’t care about the names, dates, and places. They wanted to know THE STORY!

She asked me, ‘what do you do with data family members have acquired when they just want “the story”?’ She went on to say that when she visited her sister  and brother-in-law DABBS in the spring of 2012, she “again” mentioned her interest in viewing her brother in-law’s “family trunk” stored “somewhere” in their cabin. She understood the trunk-contained data from both his paternal and maternal sides of the family, DABBS and SCHOTS. Lorel’s brother in-law offered a copy of his Dabbs descendant data and she copied the family pedigree. He mentioned he was interested in a book written by a DABBS cousin, DABBS Family Genealogy, by Jack Autry Dabbs copyright 1986. After returning home, Lorel found this book listed on Family Search website. She decided to find a copy of this book for her family.

Have you come across family members who have some information but really don’t care about the names, dates, and places and just want to know the story? How did you proceed? Did you collect all their information to merge into your own? Did you ask about the family stories? Did you collect or scan photographs?

Please share your experience with us.