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Archiver > IRL-CLARE-PROJECTS > 2007-04 > 1177264765


From: "Diane Apel" <>
Subject: Re: [IRL-CLARE-PROJECTS] Questions unanswered
Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2007 13:59:25 -0400
References: <150344.54707.qm@web82003.mail.mud.yahoo.com>


Alanna, I found your comment about people who would not talk about family
history interesting as this has
also been my experience and I'm wondering if it was just an "Irish" thing, a
generational problem, personalities, or what?

When my oldest uncle was 87 I asked him some family history and he said at
age 10 my grandmother told him not to ask any more personal questions about
her family, so he could not answer anything I asked him and she was long
dead. My research did find quite a few skeltons in her closet, so perhaps
that was the problem.

I spoke last week to an 80-something surviving family member I recently
located in Quebec and he said he couldn't tell me much because his father
never would talk about his family when he asked questions (there were 16
children in it and other branches have the same problem).

This has pretty much been my experience with anyone who would have been born
before 1920. Was everyone mad at each other as appears to be the problem in
with my ancestors, or was it because families just didn't keep in touch
because it was much more difficult than it is today? I'd be interested to
know what other researchers have encountered.

Diane

----- Original Message -----
From: "Alanna Scanlon" <>
To: "Irl-Clare-Proj" <>
Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2007 4:02 PM
Subject: [IRL-CLARE-PROJECTS] Unaligned generations question.


>
> Dear List,
>
> My mother's father was married twice. My mother was at the end of the
> second family. Her oldest 1/2 brother was 30 years older than my mother.
> He had a daughter who was born within days of my mother. When they were
> in school together, they just said that they were cousins.
>
> I am the youngest of both sides of my family and everyone has died off.
> Everyone who knew anything either would not talk or was dead by the time I
> could ask questions. I remember starting to ask questions when I was 12
> and even then it was too late.
>
> Alanna

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