Talks On Family History

[Barmaid]

I do an annual talk to a Pensioner's club - I normally do some legal topic, but I've done law so many times now they are getting bored. Thus I've been asked to do a talk on Family History.

I've got the details of one member and have traced her tree for her.

How do I make it interesting for them, without losing them in the detail? I can't use a projector or anything so that's a bit annoying.

I was thinking of doing the first half concentrating on key sources (ie Census, Civil Reg, Parish Regs) and the second half explaining how to interpret the records with particular reference to the tree I've traced.

I AM going to take one of my trees with me and show them how 20 years' worth of work can turn into a document 12 feet long.........

[tamborine]

If you have researched military/shipping/colonial/imperial movements, that would be interesting to those with similar backgrounds

[coccinelle]

When I do a family tree i make it into a story. The person I'm searching for is the reference i refer to when talking of members on the tree. ie your grandmother was born etc It's incredible, as you know, how much detail you can get from a census (where they lived, who lived there, what they did as a living, then finding in the next census they're now married had more children etc) if you can also look into references of what shops were in the area or the school the person will have attended and add this to historical events such as the war it becomes good reading.

[echokilo]

Add in some of the social and local history too - as this is usually something those in the community can relate to .............. and perhaps explanation of local trades, oldest buildings, famous residents etc - and try and weave them into the tree

[DJHawkes]

When I used to do the courses I would use OHP's for examples of the various primary sources which are easy to photocopy from your home printer and most places have an OHP projector but if you are there to entertain rather than teach then it might be best to concentrate on one persons story.
Look at your research and find someone that you can trace from baptism registers right through the census returns, civil registration and if possible the probate registry. That way you can show how ordinary people like out ancestors all left their permanent mark and we can take snapshots of their lives through the records.
Depending on your time and media available, you can bring in some old maps or photos of locations, what I always think makes a bigger impact on an audience is to depict a female ancestor over time. By showing the life of a daughter, wife mother and grandmother you can get a real insight into the way families were important and how the mother was the solid influence, it sounds cliche but it's true, by focusing on one person it makes people realise that the most ordinary life can be extraordinary when seen as a whole,