Interviewing your relatives, especially the oldest ones, is the first step in family history research. By interviewing a relative, you gather facts about family history and stories about the past, and you record the voice and personality of an individual. Relatives will often protest that they know little or remember nothing, but you may be surprised at the amount of factual information conveyed in reminiscences. Interview anyone who might be helpful—not just grandparents and parents, but collateral relatives like aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Original source for this page: Center for Jewish History - Courtesy of the Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute
LibGuide - Genealogy Guide: Getting Started -- http://libguides.cjh.org/genealogyguides/getting_started