Who Are You?
What is your full name, date and place of birth? Were you born at home or at a hospital? How was your name chosen? If any family members were born in a different county, did they describe their travel here? What was their reason for immigrating? Was it difficult to get used to a new way of life? How did your parents, grandparents, and other relatives meet and marry? Are there family stories of lost love, jilted brides, unusual courtships, arranged marriages, or elopements? What stories have come down to you about your parents? Grandparents? More distant ancestors? How have these relatives described their lives to you? What have you learned from them about their childhood, adolescence, schooling, marriage, work, religion, political activity, recreation? Are there stories connected with them? Which significant historical events have taken place during your lifetime? Were there wars, natural disasters, or political changes? How did these events affect you?
Childhood
What was the name of the place where you grew up? Was it a big city or a small town? Were there any special activities or festivals at different times during the year? What do you remember best about your parents? What did you and your siblings do in your spare time? Were you an obedient child or a mischievous child? What styles of clothing did children wear then? What was the house (apartment, farm, etc.) like? Bathrooms? Did it have electricity? Indoor plumbing? Telephones? Did you have a refrigerator? Icebox? Was there a vegetable garden? Fruit trees? Were the fruits and vegetables canned? Did you store food in the cellar? What foods? Were there any special items in the house that you remember? What was the first radio show you heard? What was the first TV show you saw? Describe the personalities of your family members. What did your parents do for a living when you were growing up? Did you ever help them out? Was your family financially comfortable? What kinds of chores did you have as a child? Before school? After school? Did you receive an allowance? How much? Did you save your money or spend it? What was school like for you as a child? What were your best and worst subjects? Where did you attend grade school? High school? College? How did you get to school? Who was your favorite teacher? What school activities and sports did you participate in? Do you remember any fads from your youth? Popular hairstyles? Clothes? Who were your childhood heroes? What were your favorite songs and music? Did you have any pets? If so, what kind and what were their names? What was your religion growing up? What church, if any, did you attend? Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper? Who were your friends when you were growing up? What world events had the most impact on you while you were growing up? Did any of them personally affect your family? Describe a typical family dinner. Did you all eat together as a family? Who did the cooking? What were your favorite foods? How were holidays (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) celebrated in your family? Did your family have special traditions? How is the world today different from what it was like when you were a child? What was your favorite toy? What was your favorite thing to do? Describe a typical day. Describe a typical Sunday. What was Christmas morning like? What was a typical gift? How did you celebrate birthdays? How did you celebrate July 4th? How did you celebrate Thanksgiving? What is your favorite holiday memory? Who were your best friends? What games did you play? Jump Rope? Ball? When did you first drive a car? Officially and unofficially? How much did gasoline cost then? Describe the cars the family owned? Year, color? Did you go to the movies? How much was admission? Who were your favorite actor, actress, movie, recording artist? Did you ever attend a play? Did your family go on vacations? When was the first time you were away from home? What did you get caught doing after you were told not to do it? What cemeteries did your family visit and who was buried there? What church did your family attend? What is different about church today? How did you get to your church? What churches did you visit for marriages, funerals, baptisms, etc.? Do you remember any hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, or floods?
Family
Did your family have any special traditions, such as things that they did on holidays or birthdays? What about family heirlooms? Is there anything that has been handed down from generation to generation? Who was the oldest relative you remember as a child? What do you remember about them? What do you know about your family surname? Is there a naming tradition in your family, such as always giving the firstborn son the name of his paternal grandfather? What stories have come down to you about your parents? Grandparents? More distant ancestors? Are there any stories about famous or infamous relatives in your family? Have any recipes been passed down to you from family members? Are there any physical characteristics that run in your family? Are there any special heirlooms, photos, bibles or other memorabilia that have been passed down in your family? Who do you resemble?
Leaving Home
What was your first job? How old were you at the time? How did you get your job? What different jobs have you had during your life? When did you leave home? Why did you leave and where did you go? How did your life change? Did you feel grown up? Were you a little scared? Were you ever in a war or serve in the military? What do you remember most? Where did you enlist? Why did you enlist? Where did you serve? What were your responsibilities? What was your rank? Were you awarded any medals? What was the full name of your spouse? Siblings? Parents? When and how did you meet your spouse? What did you do on dates? What was it like when you proposed (or were proposed to)? Where and when did it happen? How did you feel? What were the words? What did your parents say when you told them? Describe your wedding clothes. Where did you purchase them? Describe your wedding ring. Did you jointly decide on wedding rings? What was your wedding day like? Temperature, kind of day? What were the festivities like? Did you go on a honeymoon? Where did you first live as a couple? And then where? How would you describe your spouse? What do (did) you admire most about them? What do you believe is the key to a successful marriage? How did you find out your were going to be a parent for the first time? Why did you choose your children's names? What was your proudest moment as a parent? What did your family enjoy doing together?