One of the first things I listed in my article about 10 things I wish I’d known in the beginning, was to gather as much information as you can from living relatives.
Most of the record types we use for research aren’t published for the last 100 years. So, the best way to research that time is to ask the people that lived it (or at least some of it).
Now, it’s not always easy. When I decided to start researching my family, my only living direct ancestor was my Mother. This obviously made collecting useful information rather difficult.
But, it was my Mum who was able to tell me that my paternal grandfather was known as Herbie and he was alive in 1961 when she and my Dad married.
She’s also been able to confirm some things that I’ve found out along the way.
I’ve spoken to uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. about my ancestry and I’ve also read many hundreds of different questions recommended online.
It seems to me, that most of the lists available are for people who are trying to understand the personal lives and character of their relatives.
But as someone just starting out, it’s likely you’ll want to know more about who they were. Finding out who your ancestors were is the biggest clue to moving back through your tree.
So, what sort of things should you ask?
Well, any information you can gain about your family’s past is going to be helpful. But there are certain things that’ll help with progressing your research too.
Below, I’ve listed 20 questions that you can ask when researching your recent family’s history. I hope you find them useful.
The questions are pretty general and won’t be right for every relative. But, I’m sure there’s a few that you can pick out that’ll help during any research interview.
- What can you tell me about your mother/father/grandfather/grandmother? (full name/DoB/anniversaries/employment/where born, etc.)
- What do you remember about your father/mother from growing up?
- What do you remember about your grandfather/grandmother from growing up?
- Did they have a middle name or nickname?
- What was the cause of their death?
- Were they buried, or cremated? Was there a memorial?
- Do you have any photographs or newspaper clippings of them?
- Do you know if they lived anywhere else?
- What do you remember about their employment history?
- What stories can you tell me about them?
- Who was the oldest relative you remember as a child? What do you remember about them?
- Do you remember the war/rationing? What can you tell me about it?
- Have any family stories been passed down to you over the years? If so, what are they?
- Is there any military history you’re aware of?
- What are the earliest memories of your childhood?
- What sort of things did you do for fun as a child?
- Where did you go on holiday as a child?
- What can you tell me about your schooldays?
- What haven’t we discussed that you’d like to tell me about?
- Has anyone in the family already created a family tree?
I hope these questions inspire you to find your own, But, the best information comes when the person you’re interviewing becomes a storyteller. Hopefully, you can find one during your quest 🙂
If you’ve used questioning to find out about your past and you’ve got any tips to share, please drop them in the comments below.