How to Interview Your Maltese Relatives

Before you begin, understand that some people -- including members of your own family -- may feel suspicious, uneasy, or simply disinterested about your genealogy research. They may wonder why you are asking questions, who will see their answers or what you might discover. Family history can touch on private experiences. Some relatives may distrust the process, or worry about painful memories that they want to keep private. It's important to be upfront about what you are doing, and don't take any hesitation or rejection personally.

Explain your interest openly: you want to understand your family's history and preserve its memory. Ask what they feel comfortable sharing, explain how you intend to use to information and respect their boundaries. Once people can see you are genuinely interested, they are likely to become interested themselves and the conversation can flow from there.

Below are some probing questions to get the conversation moving.

• Where were you born, and where did you grow up?

• What was your childhood home like?

• Who lived with you?

• Which school did you attend?

• What games did you play?

• What jobs did your parents do?

• What were the women's surnames before marriage?

• Did anyone use a nickname or a different name?

• Do you remember the church where someone was baptised or married?

• Which foods did your family prepare?

• What Maltese sayings did your parents or grandparents use?

• Did your family belong to a club, band, community?

• What traditions would you like younger relatives to remember?

• Who left, and approximately when?

• What led them to move?

• Where did they first settle?

• Are there letters, passports or travel documents from that time?

Listen without supplying the answers, and be sure that you write everything down. You can come up with a list of questions beforehand so that you are prepared and do not need to keep returning to the same conversation. My recommendation for your first interview is to  choose one willing relative, bring photographs if possible, and your list of questions. Before you finish, ask: "Is there anything about our family that you would like future generations to know?"