The Family History Interview - Advice and Questions to Ask

Basic Interview Advice:

• Keep it informal and comfortable for your relative. It isn't an interrogation; no bright lights and cameras, though an unobtrusive audio recorder can help you maintain eye contact and reduce note-taking.
  
• Take a real and active interest in them and their responses to put them at ease - you are their blood-relative not an impassive court reporter. Smile, laugh politely and be genuinely surprised at the unexpected answers.
  
• Don't interrupt and Do allow for long pauses - often they have more to say, when given an opportunity. Give them time to dredge-up old memories.
• Ask open-ended questions that don't just beg one-word answers; for example:
  • "What do you remember about..."
  • "Can you help me understand..."
  • "What did people do about..."
  • "How did you feel about..."
  • "What did you like most about..."
  • "Can you share your best work (or school) story..."
  • "What kinds of things did you worry about..."
  • "How did your family celebrate (birthdays, holidays, harvest, etc.)..."
• Steer away from uncomfortable topics (black sheep, feuds, divorces and similar controversies). If they are comfortable enough later, they may offer, but don't dig.
• Explain your research objectives; be narrow to start, such as, "I'd like to understand more about my family and what it was like to live on a farm in the great Depression."
• Be discrete and reassuring - remember, no one wants their most anxious family moments aired on the Internet or in your tree - let them know you respect their privacy and do so.
  
• Use visuals - photos or heirlooms - to prompt memories and jump-start stories.
• Ask about "smells" if they get stuck - these are among the deepest memories and help with recall; "What did the kitchen smell like at breakfast... the barn... the outhouse?"
  
• Target your questions in advance - Don't feel the need to ask all these questions. This interview can take from 30 to 90 minutes to conduct.
• Add more questions on the fly; Ask follow-up questions; go where the answers lead.

 

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Phase One: Name, Date & Location (don't forget to follow-up, "Can you tell me more about...?")

1. What is your complete name? Are you named for someone? Did you have a nickname?
2. What do you know about your family surname? Do you know its ethnic origin & meaning? Did it ever change?
3. What is your date of birth, and where were you born? Did you live there or move often?
4. What are your brothers or sisters names? When & where were they born? Did they marry? When, where, who?
5. What are your parents’ names? Your grandparents’ names? What about your great-grandparents’ names? When and where were they each born? Were they named for someone? 
6. Where did your parents, grandparents, siblings live? What type of work did they do? Are any living? If not, when did they pass away? Where are they buried?
   
7. Did your parents, grandparents have siblings? What were their names? Birth order? Did they marry?
8. Where there  second marriages in the family? Who, when, names?

 
Phase Two: Extended Families (don't forget to follow-up, "Can you tell me more about...?")

1. Tell me about how & where did you meet your spouse? Did you date long? How did your parents meet? Your grandparents?
2. What was it like when you proposed (or were proposed to)? Where and when did it happen?
3. What was the birth of your first child like? Other children? How and why were they named?
4. What do memories do you recall about parents? Your grandparents? Great-grandparents?
5. Can you tell me about your father’s relatives? Your mother’s relatives? Reunions?
6. Tell me about the most memorable personalities among your immediate family and relatives.
7. What family stories or lore did your parents and grandparents tell about your ancestors?
8. Were there any relatives that were avoided or who you never knew?
9. Who’s the oldest relative you remember? What do you remember about them?
10. What physical traits seem common in the family? How about personality characteristics?

 
Phase Three: Ancestors’ & Their Lives (don't forget to follow-up, "Can you tell me more about...?")

1. Have you kept letters, Christmas cards, Memorial Cards and photo albums? Would it be alright to look through them as we talk?
2. Can you talk about your first memory? What are your most vivid childhood memories?
3. Can you describe your house? What kind of area did you live in? Neighbors?
4. Did other family members ever live with you? Did any live nearby?
5. What was it like to live through... (WWII, The Great Depression, the Cold War, etc.)?
6. What schools did you attend? What were classes, teachers, athletics like? Who were your best friends? How did you stay in touch?
7. Did you receive an allowance? How much? Did you do chores for money as a youngster?
8. Where was your first real job? Other jobs? What were these jobs like?
9. What was your first big purchase after you had a regular paycheck?
10. How were holidays celebrated when you were young?
11. Where did you go on vacations with parents, and after you became an adult?
12. Can you tell me about your hobbies and interests?
13. What big news stories events affected you the most while growing up? Why?
14. Do you have any famous (or infamous) relatives? Were family ever mentioned in the newspaper?

 
Phase Four: Miscellaneous Questions (don't forget to follow-up, "Can you tell me more about...?")

1. What was your religion growing up? What church, if any, did you attend?
2. To what political party did your parents and grandparents belong? Did they vote party line?
3. Can you tell me about clubs, social groups, community groups, unions or other groups that you belonged to? Your parents? Your Grandparents?
4. What pets did you have as a child? What were their names?
5. What smells or aromas do you vividly recall (foods, farms, cigars, perfume)? Tell me about the circumstances?
6. Have any special heirlooms, photos, bibles or other memorabilia been passed down in your family?

 
Phase Five: Wind-Down and Closure

1. What haven’t we talked about that you’d like to discuss in the time we have left? 

50 More Interview Questions