QUESTION #1: What's Your Favorite Ice Cream?

OK, so what does this question have to do with telling your family story? Even the simplest question can release a flood of memories. If this one doesn't do it for you then maybe the next one will. Here's my answer.

My favorite ice cream is plain old vanilla. Not very exciting at first glance, but imagine the possibilities. Vanilla can become anything you want at anytime. I can add fudge or strawberries or butterscotch. Whipped cream and cherries. Crushed cookies or candy bars. It never has to be the same twice.

I remember when I was very young, maybe 4 or so, we lived in Waterville, NY. Every Sunday we attended the local Methodist church and after church we would go to a small ice cream place where I would always get the same thing~A vanilla cone dipped in butterscotch. I was in heaven! Then we would drive into the country and buy eggs from a lady who always gave me a cherry tomato.

There... simple, pleasant and a small tidbit about myself that can be passed along to future generations. Certainly not earthshattering information, but it's something that will go toward making me more real to people who will never get to meet me. The kind of chatty detail that I wish I had about MY ancestors.

So, go ahead and answer this question for yourself. Leave a note in my comments if you like, but most certainly write it down or record it. I'll be asking more questions as we go along and giving you some hints and tips about how to find your own family history. So join in the fun and let's go on the storyteller's journey together.