The best approaches for family history interviews are to ask open-ended questions (as opposed to ones with yes-or-no answers), to focus on people’s memories and experiences, and to listen carefully. Talking about the events and feelings that led up to them in the past will make the interview much more interesting for both you and the subject.
Pick a significant news story that occurred during the relative’s lifetime (such as the Pearl Harbor attack, D-Day, or the day President John F. Kennedy was shot), and ask your relative the following questions to jog their memory:
What is your opinion of or experience with computers? (Include or exclude other contemporary conveniences like television, microwaves, and cell phones.) ).
What else do you want to cover in the remaining time that we haven’t covered? (This is a good place to start concluding the interview. ).
Family history interviews are a wonderful way for children to learn about their family’s past. See our list of queries for kids to pose to their grandparents or other family members!
Lisa Louise Cook, Sunny Jane Morton, and Diane Haddad submitted questions. Parts of this article were published in Family Tree Magazine’s January 2012 and January/February 2013 issues.
Interviewing Family Members to Grow Your Family Tree | Ancestry
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100 family history interview questions have been compiled below for you to use at your upcoming gathering. For your convenience, we’ve also provided printable versions of these interview questions. One is a questionnaire that can be filled out, and the other is just a list of the questions.
Print the list version here and the questionnaire version (with spaces for answers) here if you want to take this list with you!
Of course, it’s best if you can make plans in advance to interview your relative there so as not to surprise them. The majority of people would concur that it is acceptable to impromptu ask your great aunt or grandparent if they feel like answering a few questions over pie and coffee.
You can read through all of the questions below, or you can download two different printable versions of them here.
For a very in-depth and comprehensive interview, you can use all 100 questions, or you can pick and choose from the list to create your own set of inquiries. Most of the time, 100 questions will be excessive and overwhelm your interviewee. Instead, emphasize the inquiries you are most interested in learning more about, and then make additional inquiries as appropriate.
Interviewing family members allows you to interact with them and ask them questions. Although it is not always simple, it can be very rewarding. You can stay in touch with family members right now while preserving important tales and memories for future generations. Younger family members can discover new things about themselves, their heritage, and even their place in history. Older family members can relive their past experiences and accomplishments.
Expert Advice: Get in touch with them ahead of time and let them know what you are intending to do. Perhaps they can generate questions to ask in return. You can interview each other!.
Pick a significant news story that occurred during the relative’s lifetime (such as the Pearl Harbor attack, D-Day, or the day President John F. Kennedy was shot), and ask your relative the following questions to jog their memory:
What is your opinion of or experience with computers? (Include or exclude other contemporary conveniences like television, microwaves, and cell phones.) ).
Family history interviews are a wonderful way for children to learn about their family’s past. See our list of queries for kids to pose to their grandparents or other family members!
What else do you want to cover in the remaining time that we haven’t covered? (This is a good place to start concluding the interview. ).
The best approaches for family history interviews are to ask open-ended questions (as opposed to ones with yes-or-no answers), to focus on people’s memories and experiences, and to listen carefully. Talking about the events and feelings that led up to them in the past will make the interview much more interesting for both you and the subject.
FAQ
What are good questions to ask about ancestry?
- Who were the oldest family members you were personally acquainted with?
- Do you know their whole names? …
- When you were a child, did your parents ever bring up any of their ancestors?
- When you were a child, did anyone who wasn’t related to you live with you?
- Where did you grow up?
How do you do a family history interview?
Asking open-ended questions (as opposed to ones with yes-or-no answers) and concentrating on people’s memories and experiences are the best techniques for family history interviews. Talking about the events and feelings that led up to them in the past will make the interview much more interesting for both you and the subject.
What should I say in my family background interview?
I am belongs to a nuclear family. I have one younger brother, my mother is a housewife, and my father is a farmer. There are four people in my family and I am from the middle class. My brother is pursuing a degree, my mother is a stay-at-home mom, and my father is a farmer.
What are some questions to ask relatives about family history?
- What is your full name? …
- When and where were you born?
- How did your family come to live there?
- Were there other family members in the area? …
- What was the house (apartment, farm, etc.) …
- Did the house have any unique items that you can recall?
- What is your earliest childhood memory?
