Speak Your Mind Tuesday

On the next
Speak Your Mind Tuesday

July 22: It's the Kids Corner Picnic! Tonight we create our list for the ultimate picnic - what would you add to the list, the key is to not double up from things other callers have added ... so put on your picnic thinking cap and give us a call! Speak Your Mind!

Life Story Questions: Building a family history, one story at a time

How to interview for a Life Story

Gathering a life story from one of your parents or grandparents can be a wonderful experience as well as an honor for both the you and the person you are interviewing. It strengthens the bonds between generations and enriches both family and community. The right question asked in the right way brings out great treasures - not highly priced objects but the stories and insights that give events and objects their personal value.

It's best to gather both the hard facts as well as personal stories. The facts establish what is called an "objective reality" and the personal stories provide the ring of truth. Be patient. Sometimes an answer may seem quite short but it may be an initial response that can lead to a longer and fuller answer later on. Your quiet nod or further questioning may encourage the person you are interviewing to go beyond the basic answer and deeper into their memory.

Grab a tape recorder and get ready to gather the details. Choose your subject and then come up with a time when you both will not be disturbed. Sit in a quiet place, turn on the tape recorder and begin! Remember, the best part of asking questions is to listen to the answer. Everyone has a story and everyone wants a chance to tell it!

Here are some questions you might ask the person in the family you chose to interview. You don't need to ask ALL of them - just find ones that seem right to you and begin building your story!

A. What Was Your Mother's Family Like

This will help you learn about your family's ancestry!

1. What were the names of your mother's parents?

2. When and where were they born? Where did they live?

3. How did they make a living?

4. What are your clearest memories of them?

5. Do you recall anything either one said to you? Or did for you?

6. Who else in that family do you remember? What was he/she like?

7. Do you know your ancestry before your mother's grandparents? Do you know other family stories about any of them?

8. What was it like for them during... (various historical events of the time - war, immigration, the Great Depression, natural disaster, political changes)

9. Did they have any special traditions? Are any still followed?

10. Do you have any special objects or mementoes of any of them? Does the object have a story? (If not an object, perhaps there's a place or activity reminiscent of a family member)

11. Where are the other members/branches of the family now?

12. What was your mother like? (appearance, personality, habits, common expressions, interests, work, special memories of her)

B. What Was Your Father's Family Like

Then, ask the same questions above, but about their father's side of the family.

C. Now To Learn About Your Subject

These questions will help you learn more about the person you are interviewing. Remember to listen to their answers and be sure to ask questions about what they say, if something pops up that you want to better understand.

1. When were you born? Where did you grow up? (country, name and size of city or town, neighborhood, kind of home)

2. What were your parents like? Describe them - appearance and character, way of making a living.

3. How many brothers and sisters did you have? What were their names and the order of their birth? (possibly dates of birth)

4. Who were you closest to in the family? Describe that person(s). What would you do together that was special?

5. What kind of family chores did you do?

6. What jobs did you get outside the family? What did you earn?

7. Where did you go to school? How was your education different than today? What was better? What was worse? Did you have any special teacher? How did that person help you?

8. How was your life then different than a child's today?

9. What were your clearest memories of childhood?

• kinds of food - who made it, where and how?
• pets, hobbies, sports
• your favorite toy, bike or car
• favorite joke or game or practical joke
• special movie, book, radio programs or songs
• favorite place in the house / the neighborhood
• how did your family spend a typical day or evening?
• family time - game, different holidays, gifts, visits, traditional event, entertainment, storytelling

10. Do you recall any stories told by your family? (These can be family stories or folk tales) Do you remember folk songs or lullabies?

11. Who were your friends, heroes, role models?

12. Did you ever get into trouble? What happened?

13. What did you want to be when you grew up?

14. Were you ever given any important advice or predictions?

D. Adulthood

These questions will help you learn more about the person you are interviewing

1. When did you first leave home and why?

2. What kind of jobs did you have? What did you have to learn to succeed at them? Were any very difficult? Exciting? Unusual?

3. Did you travel? How old were you? What did you see?

4. Did you ever meet anyone famous?

5. Were you ever present at an historic moment?

6. Did you ever receive any kind of award or honor?

7. What was your family's first car?

8. When did you first ride in a plane?

9. When did you meet the one you married? Where and how? What impressed you at that time? When did you decide to marry? What convinced you it was the right decision? How did the proposal go? What was the wedding like?

10. What was your first home? What was your first car?

11. What family events, vacations do you remember best as the children were growing up?

E. The Present

Finally, these questions allow the person you are interviewing a chance to think and share their opinions and feelings

1. Things have changed greatly since you were a child. What do you think are important things that have not changed?

2. Do any members of your family have your traits? Which traits? Does anyone in your present family have traits of your parents or grandparents? Who? Which traits?

3. If you could be any age again, which age would you be? Why?

4. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? Why?

5. If you could talk to any person you ever knew, who would it be? What would you talk about?

6. Is there anything that you regretted not doing?

7. Is there anything you are especially proud of?

Consider recording the person giving a tour of their home and memorabilia or record the person going through photos, family trees or mementoes as they stimulate memories. Perhaps you might interview a friend or relative of the person to get more insights and stories about the person. After the interview, the person may continue thinking about your questions. Leave the question sheet. Call back. You may learn even more! Use the next opportunity to clarify any details.

The questions we ask of others we can also ask of ourselves. Take the opportunity to gather your own life story!