Introducing your Family History research into everyday conversation

[River Tyne Lass]

I sometimes do this by asking someone about their hobbies .. and then wham
.. I start talking about my passion .. GENEALOGY! . They can hardly refuse to listen to me when I have just listened to them for quarter of an hour. . 

Or you can ask, someone what they have done this week and then when it's your turn to speak you can just say something like "Well, I just found out this week on RootsChat that Great Grandfather's cousin twice removed died by a bolt of lightning! ..."

You can tell they are not interested if their eyes glaze over and they say "How fascinating" in a monotone voice.  I remember my Dad once said to me after observing  me and my then teenage friends "Everybody wants to talk but nobody wants to listen!"

However, I really like it when I am talking too another enthusiast and I see the look of pure joy on their face when I impart new information to them about where to find useful stuff.  This happened last week when I was able to tell someone of a record I discovered at the archives which gives causes of death for many local ancestors (this saving money on death certificates).  . I suppose only a fellow genealogist could get as excited as me about such stuff.

I would just add that if you show a high level of tolerance towards crazy people who like to talk about things like football then they might show more willingness to listen to more fascinating lines of conversation .. GENEALOGY!

[Rosinish]

I have worked out by peoples intial reactions to the mention of anything genealogical whether or not they're likely to be interested.

I started my g/sons paternal line the other day with help from his paternal g/mother who gave me plenty of up-to-date info. on BMDs to save buying full price certs.

I arrived at paternal g/mothers g/father who would be my g/sons 2 x g g/father.

I found his Attestation Papers & when I told my g/sons half sister, her words...
"It's amazing what you find on the internet", no questions about 2 x g g/father i.e. I think it speaks for itself?

This man apparently 'jumped ship' in Canada but I need to quiz paternal g/mother on the circumstances as I'm unsure exactly what was meant by him 'jumping ship' at this stage?

I believe I've narrowed down his disappearance to between 1930 - 1935 when he disappears from the Valuation Rolls from the houses/area they lived in 1913 (after marriage) until 1930?

I know paternal g/mother is interested as she gave me lots of valuable info. & snippets.

Annie

[dowdstree]

Like most of you I have had various reactions when I mention my hobby/obcession to people. Some interested others downright rude (usually the ones who prefer football and a good bevy.)

A few years ago I was discussing geneology and where I search for records with my daughter within earshot of my grandson who was around 8 year old.

Later I heard him telling his older brother that granny found dead people on the internet and there was a big building up the town (Scotlands People Centre) that had dead people in it too. 

Well at least he was interested 

Dorrie

[coombs]

When people talk to me about football and other sport I do zone out. It goes in one ear and out of the other. But they may be the same with me going on about my 4xgreat grandad's coachman journies around London.

[Treetotal]

My Sil always changed the subject when I talked about my family research to her and she would say that she didn't have the time to take it up, and that if she did,  she would probably soon lose interest after a little while. She lost her Father recently who was a great hoarder and whilst clearing out his bungalow she found a pile of letters from her Great-grandmother to her son who was in the army and they were dated 1881/82. There was also numerous BMD certs of her ancestors, photographs and a couple of old wills. She enlisted my help to start her off on researching her Family and now I'm the one doing all the listening about her latest discovery 
Carol

[Mart 'n' Al]

The object of any conversation is to see how quickly you can get around to discussing Mornington Crescent! It always helps if you do have relatives who came from there.

Martin

[coombs]

I pretend to listen to their football chats, like they may say a very short "very good" reply to a genealogy brickwall you have just demolished and am acting like you won the lottery.

When a chatty FB friend sends me another chat request, and I get a chat pop up, I then think "Time I was not here" and pretend I have not seen the message and log out or just stay logged in but not go on FB for a bit. I do think "I dont really wanna chat online right now" but would not go as far to block/unfriend them. It is like when you say "i dont mind Harry Potter" and they think you love it, and lend you their books, you are too polite to say no, so they sit on your worktop unread, you return them a month later and say "i really enjoyed reading them" but when they ask what was your fave story, you struggle, and cannot tell them that you have not read them as you are nowhere near as interested as they thought you were.

[louisa maud]

Mornington Cres, Maida Vale area?
Not far from where I was born in W10, not so far away but what is the significance of Mornington Cres

Louisa Muad

[Mart 'n' Al]

Louisa, read this for an explanation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mornington_Crescent_(game)

Martin