You may already have a lot of facts about your family history, such as: Grammy was born in 1945 and got married in 1964. There are a lot of those facts that you can verify in genealogy sites like Ancestry (available at the Genealogical Society Library); MyHeritage and Family Search (both of which can be used at James V. Brown Library), Heritage Quest (available at some libraries), and more. There are many questions, though, that can’t easily be answered by anyone other than the people involved, and those are the questions to ask that will help you to get to know your grandparents better, or maybe in a different way. Here are some examples. (Since there are four links included below which have many, many questions listed, you may want to prepare ahead for your “oral history interview”.)
1. What was your wedding day like?
2. How did your mother meet your father?
3. What did you call your grandmother and grandfather?
4. What is your favorite childhood memory?
These questions and more came from “Interviewing Mom and Grandma: oral history tips”.
Another source is “50 questions to ask relatives about family history”; here are some of their selections:
1. Where did you live as a child? What was the house (apartment, farm, etc.) like? How many rooms? Bathrooms? Did it have electricity? Indoor plumbing? Telephones?
2. What was your favorite toy and why?
3. What school activities and sports did you participate in?
4. What were your favorite songs?
5. Did you have any pets?
6. Are there any stories about famous relatives in your family?
7. Of all the things you learned from your parents, what do you feel was the most valuable?
Author Kimberly Powell has a great suggestion: “While these questions make good conversation starters, the best way to uncover the good stuff is through more of a storytelling session than a Q&A.”
The last two lists of questions, mentioned above, are “100 best family history interview questions” and “25 family history questions you’ll really want to ask”. Also, be sure to look at all four articles for tips about making your oral history a fun memory for both you and your grandparents!