This year the 1940 census has given us so much to look forward to, so much to research and add to our family history writing and genealogy research.
Thanksgiving gatherings are a good time to talk about the family history and to add stories to your research.
I like to add family stories, testimonials, oral histories, to any book on a family that I write, mindful that it's documentation that makes the project a genealogy project rather than a story project and that some of the stories may not hold up to the research.
The biggest protestations I've encountered while research genealogy come from those who grew up believing something or other about their family that the research doesn't prove, but when writing about these discrepancies it's the wording you use to explain the controversy. For instance I was once researching a branch of a large Southern family and they had held a family reunion a few years previous. One of their earnest and sincere members sent me a copy of the genealogy that had been distributed to the members. I followed this research back and found that it stuck right where I was but this family researcher didn't bother to write "The following is speculation." I had to.
The information you may have found in the 1940 census is a good starting point for discussion, especially if you bring along some copies to look at after everyone has eaten and the left overs have been put away and the dishes washed! Family members who lived during the Great Depression or World War II may hitch onto information about who was supporting the family, who joined the CCC's (Civilian Conservation Corps), and so on.
Record whatever anyone has to say.
Though I've found that some stories people tell are inaccurate, I've also gotten some informational leads that lead me to the accuracies.
