Relatively Speaking The pursuit of trivia to some is a noble profession. To others it is seen as the collecting of a hodgepodge of useless facts. The dictionary tells us that trivia is “unimportant details or pieces of information.”

For the family historian, trivia may appear as seemingly disjointed tidbits of information, yet there is never an unimportant detail. Within the researcher’s world, apparent trivia can be the foundation to a cohesive story.

Important or not, trivia is an entertaining way of turning the family history search into a game. Invite relatives to participate in the search for family fun facts. Make up a list of questions to start the dialogue. The following is a list of questions to get you started. Use your imagination to add to the list.

l What is your favorite family recipe?
l Who tells the funniest jokes in the family?
l What is your favorite movie or song and why?
l Explain a family holiday tradition.
l What is your favorite food?

You can start a game of family history trivia at your next gathering. Spend an evening playing the game with your children. Include out-of-town relatives by mailing them the trivia list. Ask distant relatives to join in by writing down their answers and sending them back to you.
Collecting these slices of life to some may be trivial, but the family historian realizes that these slices of life add leaves to the family tree.

Cindy Sue Blair is an internationally syndi



Cindy Sue Blair is a nationally syndicated columnist. Her articles appear in publications throughout the US and Canada Read her blog and listen to her radio show at www.ExploreTheMidwest.com.