Getting Information From Old People

Was driving downtown the other day and had a black cat scoot across the road in front of me. Thought, now if Albert Rich had been riding with me, I would have to turn around and find another route to the village.

Had a lot of conversations with Albert who was the source for a lot of the information I have about Fairfax. I found that the best way to get information about something I was trying to find out was to steer the conversation in a general direction as to the topic I was interested in. Albert would tell stories off the top of his head and I would usually end up with the information I needed.

I found if I asked him a direct question, he sometimes would have difficulty coming up with the answer and it would bother him terribly that he did not know and he would fret and stew about it. I am many years younger than Albert was, but find and now understand a bit why it was easier for Albert to remember if you didn't ask him a direct question. I can ramble on at times and actually surprise myself that I remember some things using that approach.

Older people can be an excellent source of unwritten history if you just let them talk away and listen.