Family History Questions

My wife developed these outlines to guide family discussions to get her parents to talk about their personal and family histories. We recorded and took notes to work the conversations into a written narrative. We then checked some of the names and references to add to the information using new.familysearch.org and general "google" searches.


I will add more as my wife continues to draft up lists of questions on different subjects.

MOTHERS

1.      Describe your mother:

·         Name

·         Her personality

·         Stature

·         Talents

·         Clothing

·         Temperament

·         What do you consider to be your mother’s best traits?

·         Share a family story or two about her?

2.      How did your mother spend her time?

·         Education experiences?

·         Volunteering?

·         Jobs?

3.      What do you remember about your mother’s church service while you were growing up?

4.      Tell about your relationship with your mother. 

·         What was her philosophy about raising children, disciplining, rules, etc.? 

ü  What did you do as a child that got you into the most trouble with your parents?

ü  What household chores were you responsible for?

·         What do you remember doing with your mom?  Share a favorite memory.

·         What interests did you share?

ü  What did you learn from your mom? 

ü  What important lesson or advice did you learn from your parents that you would like to pass along to your posterity?

·         What reminds you of your mom (Sounds? Smells? Sights?)

·         If she were here today, what experience(s) would you want to share with her?

5.      EVERYONE: Why do you love Grandma?

FATHER’S DAY DISCUSSION

1.      Tell about your father:

·         His personality

·         Characteristic

·         Stature

·         Talents

·         Clothing

·         Temperament

·         What were your father’s best traits?

2.      What did your father do for a living?

·         How did he get to work?

·         What time did he leave and return?

·         Did he take his lunch?

·         Who did he work with?

·         Did he get any special training for his job?

3.      What do you remember about your father’s church service while you were growing up?

4.      Tell about your relationship with your father. 

·         What interests did you share?

·         What is a favorite memory of your dad?

5.      Describe your feelings about becoming a parent.

·         What did you do similar to your parents?

·         What changes did you implement?

·         What parenting advice do you have for your posterity?

6.      EVERYONE: Why do you love Grandpa?


CHILDREN QUESTIONS

1.      BEFORE

·         What kind of preparation did you have for being a parent?

·         How was the news received by your children, your family and your spouse’s family?

·         Were there any pregnancy complications? If so, how were they treated?

2.      DURING

·         Describe your “delivery” experience.

·         Were there any complications during the birth?  If so, what?

·         Where was your baby born?

·         What preparations were necessary for the birth?

·         Who was the doctor who attended the delivery?

·         What was the total cost of the birth?

·         When was the baby born?

3.      AFTER

·         How did you pick out the name?

·         What were your feelings when you first saw your baby?

·         What kind of baby clothes and diapers did you have for your baby?

4.      CHILDHOOD

·         Fun memories/stories about this child

·         Unique experiences with this child

·         Personality traits early on …

5.      TEENAGE YEARS

·         Describe school experiences you recall about this child.

·         What do you remember about this child’s teenage years?

·         What stands out about their dating experiences?

·         Hair styles and clothing: what do you remember?

·         What bit of advice did you give this child?  Did they listen??