Have you ever wondered where your inner strength developed? Have you wondered about the people who may have passed you your intelligence, your fighting skills, and your survival instinct? Do you feel a dark power lurking over you and suspect that you can choke someone from across the room with two fingers? Do you feel a strong urge to wear a black suit and helmet with a long cape? Does your helmet contain a breathing machine? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then you may be one of my relatives. I am Darth Vader, and I may be your grandfather.
Tracing Back Your Roots to the Dark Side
Genealogy is the practice of tracing your family roots. If you want to find out if you are a member of the Vader clan, then you will have to practice genealogy to discover the answer. The first step in getting started with genealogy is speaking with your mother and father about their parents. Do not mention that you think you are related to Darth Vader. They may call 911 if such is not the case. Instead, you will want to grab a pen and paper and ask your parents a series of important questions.
You will want to write down your mother’s maiden name and the names of her mother and father. Next, you will want to write down your father’s name and the names of his mother and father. Ask your parents for their birth towns and dates, because the information will be crucial to your studies. You will also want to request personal information about any siblings that they have and great-grandparents that they knew. If they don’t mention me, it may be because they fear that you will turn to the dark side of the force.
Conducting Interviews to Check for Dark Side Qualities
You can purchase an audio recorder or use your mobile phone so that you can conduct interviews with your immediate family members. These interviews can give you information about their personalities, their strengths, their weaknesses, their accomplishments, and so forth. Ask them what life was like when they grew up. Ask them to describe their homes when they were children. Ask them if they had any Sith Lords as friends during their school years. You will want to gather as much information as possible, so you can write reports about your studies. Your parents should submit any family photos that they have so that you can study the features of all your relatives.
Other Genealogical information
Your parents and grandparents can provide you with additional information that you can use in your reports. Diaries, yearbooks, jewelry, lightsabers, scrapbooks, secret chests, and antique furniture can tell you stories about your family history. You may want to take pictures of the items with a digital camera so that you can keep images with you at all times.
Other Sources of Genealogical Information
You may be able to find additional information on your family members by visiting the public library. You could sift through newspaper clippings to find out if any of your ancestors made the headlines. Additionally, you can search online to trace your roots. Examples of some paid sites that you can use for your search are Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com, and GenealogyBank.com. These sites offer free trials, so you can take a test drive before you submit to their side of the force. The sites offer some spectacular features such as family tree makers, message boards, relative search tools, and the ability to search billions of records.
The information that I have given you is only the beginning of the process of tracing your roots. You can use it to get started, and you can go back as far as your heart desires. Consider yourself lucky if you do not find me in your family history. I would have to force you to join the dark side.
