Interview Questions for the Family History Paper

1.  Ask for the date and place of birth, date and place of marriage and date and place and cause of death for each person in the line you are tracing.   What age were they when they married?  Where are they buried?

2.  What country did the family come from? Why did they come?

3.  Where did the family settle? Why?

4.  Did they have trouble getting into the U.S.? Did the earlier settlers discriminate against them?

5.  Did they move up in status and wealth in this country?  What was their income, their wealth, their land holdings?

6.  What does the family name mean? Has it changed? Why?

7.  Did they and do they presently have family reunions? Describe what goes on at a family reunion.

8.  Do relatives visit often and stay in close contact?

9.  Did family members spend much time with each other?

10.  How were widows and orphans cared for by the family? How about the elderly?

11.  What was the size of households?

12.  How did they meet their spouses? (circumstances of the meeting)

13. Was the father or mother dominant or did they share the power?

14.  Did the parents fight? Did brothers and sisters fight a lot?

15.  What professions were the parents involved in? Did the son follow the father in his job?

16.  How much education did they have?  Where did they atend school?  What were some important school achievements?

17.  What religion were they?

18.  What special achievements did they attain?

19.  What skills did they have?

20.  What recreations and hobbies did they have?

21.  Are there any special family beliefs or myths?  (Such as that the family was descended from kings or nobility?

22.  What family traditions are there?

23.  Does the family have any special proverbs that have been passed down on how to make it in life or how to have peace of mind?

24.  What family heirlooms do you possess? Why are they valuable to you? What is their history?

25.  Do you feel it is important to maintain the customs and traditions of your ancestors?

26.  What were their political opinions? Did they vote or hold office?

27.  How did they survive the Great Depression?  What did they think of the New Deal?  Of Franklin Roosevelt?

28.  Did they have any strong feelings about other Presidents of their Day?

29.  Did they meet or know any famous people?

30.  Did they witness any extraordinary events?

31.  Did they survive any natural disasters like hurricanes tornadoes, floods, etc.?

32.  What were the major events in their lives?

33.  What was their most vivid childhood memory?

34.  When was their first paying job?

35.  At what age did they begin dating? What were dates like when they were young?

36.  How were they disciplined when they were children?

37.  How did the Civil Rights Movement or the women's liberation movement affect your family?

38.  How did the wars affect you and your family? WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm?

39.  Do you have ancestors that served in the military during any of our wars?

thank you John Ricks