Asking Questions about Family History
You've decided to interview your aunt Lucy about your family history, but you're not sure how to get started. You don't want to start interviewing her and run out of questions.
Preparing for the interview in advance will make the interview process much easier. Here are a few tips to help you prepare: 1. Record the interview (with the interviewee's permission.) This will help you later on if you forget important details. 2. Take notes. Note the spellings of names, keywords to look up, and other relatives to interview. 3. Don't push. Your relatives may be uncomfortable talking about certain people and events in their lives. If your relative was a veteran, they may be unwilling to talk about their experiences. Respect their privacy. 4. Allow for human error. Your relative may not remember names or dates correctly. If they are having trouble recalling details, don't push them. 5. Verify details. Verify names and dates with birth, date, and marriage records. If possible, talk to multiple relatives to get different perspectives. Sample Interview Questions
Below are some sample questions to use when interviewing relatives. Add your own, and eliminate the ones that don't apply.
1. What is your full name, including your maiden name? 2. When were you born? 3. Where were you born? Was it a small town or a large city? 4. Where did you attend school? 5. Was your family religious? Did you attend religious services? 6. Were you baptized or christened? 7. Did you ever attend town or church festivals? 8. Do you have any brothers or sisters? Where and when were they born? 9. Where were your parents from? 10. When did your parents marry? Where did they get married? 11. Did you have aunts, uncles, or cousins? What were their names? 12. Did you know your grandparents? What do you know about them? 13. Did anyone in your family attend a college or university? Did they play sports or belong to campus organizations? 14. Was anyone in your family a member of a union? 15. Was anyone in your family a veteran? What branch? Did they serve in any wars or win any awards? 16. Was anyone in your family an immigrant? 17. If so, where did they emigrate from? 18. How did they enter the United States? Where did they settle? 19. Who is the oldest relative you remember? Did you know your great-grandparents? What about your great-great grandparents? 20. Is there anything else that is important for me to know about our family history? Now that you've learned what questions to ask, click Next to find family tree templates. |