Interview Questions

Use these questions when talking with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and older family friends. You do not need to ask every question. One good answer is worth saving.

• What is your full name?
• Were you named after anyone?
• Did you have a nickname?
• When and where were you born?
• Who were your parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins?

• What is your earliest memory?
• What was your home like?
• What chores did you have?
• What games did children play?
• What did a normal school day look like?
• Who were the neighbors or close family friends?

• What story did people tell over and over?
• Who was the funniest person in the family?
• Who was the best cook?
• Who gave the best advice?
• What family event do you still remember clearly?
• What did your parents or grandparents say about their own childhoods?

• What meals did the family eat on Sundays or holidays?
• What recipes should be saved?
• Who hosted gatherings?
• Were there church dinners, reunions, canning days, hog killings, fish fries, barbecues, or other food traditions?
• What dish reminds you of home?

• What towns, farms, houses, churches, schools, or cemeteries mattered to the family?
• Where did people move from and to?
• What places have changed names or disappeared?
• What should younger relatives know before visiting those places?

• What jobs did relatives have?
• Did anyone farm, teach, preach, serve in the military, run a business, work in a factory, or care for family at home?
• What skills were passed down?
• What was a normal workday like?

• Who has old photos, letters, recipe cards, funeral programs, certificates, or family Bibles?
• Can you identify people in this photo?
• Is there writing on the back?
• Who should we ask next?

• What do you wish younger family members knew?
• What should not be forgotten?
• Who else should we interview?

==== Interview with Full Name ====

Interviewed by:
Date:
Place or phone/video:

People mentioned:
Places mentioned:
Photos or documents mentioned:

Notes:

Follow-up questions: