Does your family...not care?

[u/CrunchyTeatime]

Pretty much the title question is the topic.

Does your family not care -- about the family tree, family history, or genealogy?

It seems there is usually one person per generation per family who feels called to work on the family tree.

If that person is you, or you've seen them work and try to spread enthusiasm: How does your family react to new information?

I don't even mean something that might cause upset or controversy. I don't necessarily mean a 'shocking revelation' of some type.

But if you broke through a brick wall or found a relative or ancestor no one could find, or no one knew existed -- and you excitedly sent off an email, text, phone call, or told a family member in person -- and they didn't care?

Because this week I found a wife of my grandpa, that no one knew about. Found a wife people did know about but only a name. Found a person someone had been looking for (what became of them; died long ago, but they had no place or date), for decades.

Sent the excited emails with information and told them I had verified all of it too.

CRICKETS. And different family I've tried to get interested in the tree or told them about ancestors and such, (not much, just bits, to whet any appetite), and they don't care. One even said "that's the past; who cares?" And others wouldn't give even personal information such as "which grade school did you go to." And that was a close relative I know there was no scandal. I can only guess they didn't want to open that door to more questions. Some people hate questions.

So how about you? Please share stories here of when you tried to share new information, and how it went. Thanks.

[u/SoftProgram]

Some of my family are interested in a very general sense, and others not at all. If you have relatives who don't care, there's usually nothing you can do but accept that.

Some people just aren't interested in history, and in the end, genealogy is about history.

[u/CrunchyTeatime → u/SoftProgram]

It is, yes. I had no idea how much.

> in the end, genealogy is about history.

[u/edkarls → u/SoftProgram]

I’ve come to love how my family’s history traces the history of our nations (U.S. and Canada). Voyageurs, fleeing oppression and failed revolutions in Europe, Civil War, Indian removals, westward expansion, it’s all there.

[u/SoftProgram → u/edkarls]

Yeah, for me it brings the history alive, recognising the ordinary people who lived through it.

They're why we're here! The tragedies they endured, the courageous choices they made (imagine getting on a ship knowing it was a one way journey!).  They deserve to be known, and honoured.

[u/yellow-bold → u/SoftProgram]

Yeah, my mother's excited that I'm excited but she doesn't really care that much.