If curiosity killed the cat, the cat died nobly

 "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. “

– Dorothy Parker, author

Are you a curious person? I’m going to guess yes.

Most people who are interested in family history are inherently curious. They want to know all sorts of personal things about their ancestors and their curiosity frequently rewards them with trips to wondrous places. My blogging friend Terry Thornton writes about one particularly curious member of his family, his aunt Dorie. Dorie’s aggressive curiosity over a neighbor’s business earned her a spot in family lore, writes Terry.

“From that moment on, my family has called all nosey folks ‘Aunt Dorie’," Terry says.

You may have an Aunt Dorie in your own family; you might even be one yourself. Take this test:

You may be a curious person if …

• You ever took apart a watch or clock just to see what makes it tick.
• You mixed every liquid you could find in your dad’s workshop just to see what would happen.
• You prefer actual reality to the TV version.
• You can pick up any volume from a set of encyclopedias and be entertained for hours.
• You ever stood before a mirror in a darkened room and crunched a wintergreen Lifesaver between your front teeth to see if it sparked.
• You ever sneaked a peek at a Christmas gift and carefully rewrapped it before the big day arrived.
• You mixed aspirin and Coke to see if the combination would really make you drunk.
• You ever buried a dead animal and dug it up months later just to see what happened.
• “Do Not Enter” signs set your mind to racing, wondering what’s in there?
• You don’t take Prego’s word when it says “it’s in there.”

A healthy dose of curiosity is necessary in any family history project. Here are 10 reasons why you should be curious and some tips on how to develop a sense of curiosity.

Writing tip of the day: What big family question would you like answered? What are you doing about it?

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site, send him an e-mail or follow him on Twitter.

Flickr photo courtesy of Dan4th.