Posted: 6/5/2009 7:07:09 PM EDT
| What would some great questions be for asking grandparents, great grandparents etc. I'm gonna tape the interview and transcribe it, namely for genealogical reasons but what would some great questions be, or question you wished you would have asked your older relatives but never did for whatever reason? |
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How and where did you grow up?
What schools did you go to? List and describe the different jobs you had over your life. What do think will happen in the next XX years. What are your hobbies? Who is your favorite author? List the top ten books you believe are must reads. What is your favorite movie? What is your favorite band? What advice would you give to the next generations? What's your dream car? |
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Quoted:
How and where did you grow up? What schools did you go to? List and describe the different jobs you had over your life. What do think will happen in the next XX years. What are your hobbies? Who is your favorite author? List the top ten books you believe are must reads. What is your favorite movie? What is your favorite band? What advice would you give to the next generations? What's your dream car? Nice, thank you. I had some similar questions for some but others not. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
How and where did you grow up? What schools did you go to? List and describe the different jobs you had over your life. What do think will happen in the next XX years. What are your hobbies? Who is your favorite author? List the top ten books you believe are must reads. What is your favorite movie? What is your favorite band? What advice would you give to the next generations? What's your dream car? Nice, thank you. I had some similar questions for some but others not. Thought of a few more: What were you doing/where were you when you heard about 9/11? You could throw in pearl harbor and the Kennedy assassination too. What pets did you have, which was your favorite one. What skill(s) do you wish you had learned? Have you ever had to drown down, blade at 45, or DISENGAGE? 
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Make sure to ask them to tell you all of the relatives that they remember –– it'll make your research much easier. Ask them about their brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.
Also, I always enjoyed the funny stories my grandmother told about our family. Ask about your family members' notable achievements. Ask for photos, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards, and other memorabilia that your relatives might have lying around. |
+2. Ha-ha was waiting the for blade, 45 and drawdown comments. Wonder if someone is gonna mentioned the 9mm or 45 debate?  But I appreciate that I will make sure and tape the interview and have a list of questions that I'm sure will springboard me into more. Should I try to get them to be specific, if feasible or not?
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Get dates and places of birth, dates and places of death, dates and places of marriages. Get them to name direct family members with as much information, as far back as they can remember. Information of what schools, where and when they attended. Military service. Occupations or trades. Old addresses and dates that they lived there (helps when reading census info). Ask about family secrets. The stuff they don't usually talk about or try to forget. You might find adoptions, divorces or other marriages, out of wedlock children, incest, drug abuse, alcoholism, mental problems, etc..
If you dig deep enough, you will learn some fascinating and some disappointing things about your family. To have an accurate picture, you need to know it all. |
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Quoted:
Get dates and places of birth, dates and places of death, dates and places of marriages. Get them to name direct family members with as much information, as far back as they can remember. Information of what schools, where and when they attended. Military service. Occupations or trades. Old addresses and dates that they lived there (helps when reading census info). Ask about family secrets. The stuff they don't usually talk about or try to forget. You might find adoptions, divorces or other marriages, out of wedlock children, incest, drug abuse, alcoholism, mental problems, etc.. If you dig deep enough, you will learn some fascinating and some disappointing things about your family. To have an accurate picture, you need to know it all. I found a couple of these in my family tree –– some unexpectedly close to me. It's kind of cool 'cause I have some relatives who are very proud, to the point of condescension, of a couple of our ancestors. Turns out, their blood isn't as blue as they think thanks to a couple of key adoptions. 
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What was your childhood like? (what did you do after school and all day during the summer?)
Who were your favorite relatives and what stories and advice did they share with you? What was your first job? Tell me about it. Did you serve in the military? (Tell me about it.) How did you meet your spouse? What advice do you have for your children and grandchildren? |
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I often wish I had recorded or otherwise preserved some of the family history.....I think I would have asked about my ancestors further back than I did.....I would like to know more about the "old country"...how the various wars impacted them....what was life like in the late 1880's??(when Mom's Mother and Dad were born)what did my great,great grandpa say about his service during the Civil War? but just as relevant,I think,would be to just let them talk,let them tell their stories.....
I encourage you to continue!! best Dana |
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Ask them if they like Glocks
Seriously, I did this and it was one of the best things I could have done for my children. I now know so much about our family history and events that occured 50 years before I was born...way cool. ASK THEM about their early childhood memories, about people they've met and where they've been. |
I have a family member on my wife's side that was a crew member on B17's in WWII that I am trying to spend some time with soon. We found out he has congestive heart failure this week. He is an amazing man and I'm looking forward to talking to him. My wife mentioned to him that I would like to talk to him about his time spent in the service and I guess he was very excited that someone was interested because he volunteered to come to my business to talk to me. The only time I've really asked him about the war was when there was a B17 at a local airport giving rides and I asked him if he wanted to go. His response was "No I've been in one before". He did go and talk with the crew though. |
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Definitly ask them about the change they've seen in their lives.
In 57 years we/ve gone from jets to space shuttle. Ans as far as computers go, we put Al Shepherd into space with SLIDE RULES! The calculator we get for $1.29 would have had the engineers fighting over it to the death back then. Your relatives have sure seen a lot more change than that, for damned sure! I lived through the Civil Rights movement, JFK assasination, Vietnam, and God know what else. Add 20 years and the change they have been through is un fucking real! |