What if Nancy Drew missed an interview opportunity? Would she have had the facts she needed to solve the mystery? Would the mystery have been easier if she had only asked the right questions?
Every genealogy research guide will tell you to begin with two things: 1) Start with yourself and work your way backwards, and 2) Interview all of your elderly relatives. I must admit that I severely overlooked the second step. There were so many times that I could have asked my grandparents questions, and I didn't. Case in point: The famous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde killed Doyle Johnson in Temple, Texas on December 25, 1932. Mr. Johnson lived at 606 S. 13th Street. According to the 1930 census, my grandfather lived at 1305 S. 45th Street. It was perhaps a mile away. During a visit to my grandparents, the thought crossed my mind to ask my grandfather if he remembered this (he would have been about 11 at the time). That entire visit, I never asked. Sadly, that opportunity to ask ended almost 4 years ago. I also never thought to ask him about his service in the army during WWII. Only in his obituary did I find out that he had been awarded the EAME Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 1 Bronze Star, a Good Conduct Medal and Victory Ribbon with 1 Service Stripe, and 4 Overseas Service Bars.
I am determined to not let any remaining opportunities to pass away. I've no doubt that certain relatives find me nosy. Others are happy to share their memories and will write pages of information for me. I still kick myself for not asking my grandfather about Bonnie and Clyde, among many other questions, but it has given me the guts to ask some rather personal questions to people. And with the determination of Nancy Drew, I will not miss any more interviews.
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