Recently, I had the chance to bring together my father and one of his distant cousins on the telephone. They grew up in the same General Motors factory town in the 40s and 50s, but lost touch after they moved away for college. They literally had not spoken with each other for more than six decades.
Over the hour-long call, it was really interesting to hear what they remembered growing up about life in the town, and some of the similarities in their lives and careers.
For instance, their fathers urged both young men to get into the management track at the local factory via the GM institute. The U.S. car industry was booming at the time, but both decided to move into other fields not connected with manufacturing.
They also discussed their love of music. They were just the right age to experience the tail end of the “swing” era and the blossoming of the modern jazz scene in the 1950s. They recalled seeing great musicians in small clubs, including Tommy Dorsey, Thelonius Monk (pictured below), and John Coltrane. “Then Elvis Presley came along, and that was the end of that kind of music,” our cousin said.
In addition to the stories, I heard a lot about their own parents and grandparents and relatives. It was an opportunity to get details about where people lived or worked, who was related to who, and how people passed away - useful information for the medical genogram project that we are working on.
The chat was also a reminder that one of the greatest tools for conducting genealogy research is not a computer or app, but rather the humble telephone. Think about it:
- The phone is easy to use.
- Everyone has a phone number.
- Conversations can flow, rather than being constricted by typing speed or online distractions.
I took notes as they talked, and this information will make it into my family history files.
