Whether you’re just starting your family history journey, have been interested in genealogy for years, or are trying to re-start your ancestry research, interviewing your relatives about their lives and memories is one of the most direct ways to get information about your ancestors.
These conversations offer a unique glimpse into the lives, experiences, and connections of your ancestors, providing context and depth to your family tree. During the holidays, family reunions, or just while they’re visiting, anytime you can get these stories! Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, or any other relatives, everyone’s perspective is unique!
To kick start your interviews, here are 30 family history questions to get you started! Modify the questions or add more questions depending on what information you get from your relatives!
Tips during the interviews:
- Try to make the interviews a conversation, instead of a checklist. Ask follow up questions in the moment based on what they remember.
- If they struggle to remember something, try asking something else related or from a different angle to jog memories.
- Bring pictures, family trees, or heirlooms to help jog memories.
- Try to talk about emotions and reactions, not only dates and facts. Bring life to the data!
- Ask your relatives if it’s okay to record them during the interview, so nothing gets missed.
Happy Interviewing!
30 Family History Questions + Bonus Question!
- How did you get your name? Were you named after someone? Did you have a nickname?
- What is your earliest memory?
- What was your father like? What did they do for work?
- What was your mother like? What did they do for work?
- What was your childhood like?
- What was your favorite meal as a child? Breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? Dessert?
- Where did you live? What do you remember about your home and neighborhood?
- Did you practice a religion at home?
- Did you have a pet?
- Who was your best friend? What were they like?
- What were your favorite things to do growing up?
- What was your favorite subject in school?
- Who was your favorite teacher?
- What did you want to be when you grew up?
- Did you meet your grandparents? What were they like?
- Where did they live and what did they do?
- Did you ever get together with your extended family? Did they live near you? Did you have reunions?
- Did you move? When did you move? Where did you go?
- Did you go on vacation? Where and with who?
- How did your family celebrate major holidays? Thanksgiving? Christmas? Hanukkah?
- What was your favorite holiday? How did you celebrate it?
- Have you continued any family traditions from when you were a child? What traditions do you follow now?
- What did you do for your first job?
- Who was your first love?
- How did you meet your spouse? When did you get married?
- How did you decide your children’s names?
- Does your family have any family stories or myths?
- What do you do for work? Or if you have retired, what did you do for work?
- What is your favorite season?
- What advice would you give younger family members?
- Bonus Question! Do you have any family pictures, papers, or heirlooms? What are they? Where did they come from?