00:54
I've never really had any trouble engaging my relatives in their family tree, because it has been such a fascination for many of them. My late aunt wrote two books on the family history, one on the direct paternal line and one on her and her husband's ancestors, all of whom arrived in Australia quite early.
My mother has always been fascinated with her side, as well. I actually started doing my own research as a mother-daughter bonding exercise.
I have found that you can engage them by showing what you've already been able to find online. There is so much available now, at least for British sources, which was never available ten years ago.
I've had a similar experience with my in-laws. Once you show how far you can get back, and a couple of interesting stories (the great-x3-grandmother who was orphaned age 6, the bankrupt builder, the illegitimate child, the landowner), suddenly they connect with things they remember from their own grandparents.
