What Are Some Important Family History Interview Questions To Ask Relatives?

To gather a comprehensive family history, ask relatives questions covering basic information, personal anecdotes, genealogical details, migration patterns, cultural context, health history, and unresolved family mysteries. These questions not only provide essential data but also uncover valuable stories and insights that set the stage for future research, saving time and effort by leveraging readily available information from relatives.

The most important family history interview questions to ask relatives should cover basic information, anecdotes, personal histories, genealogical information, migration, culture, health, society, and mysteries. 

Asking these questions is a crucial initial stage for your genealogical research, as the answers set the stage for future research. Besides, it may save you time, energy, and costs of finding readily available information from relatives. 

This guide provides essential questions you need to ask relatives and gather valuable information that might otherwise be lost. 

Basic Information and Background

Acquiring basic information from relatives not only provides essential data like birth records and family timelines but also sets the stage for more detailed stories and information. It’s also a perfect opportunity to gather childhood stories and personal anecdotes. 

Below are crucial basic information and background questions to ask relatives for your genealogy research:

1. When and where were you born?
2. What names were you given?
3. Where did your family live?
4. What is your earliest childhood memory?
5. Who were your family members?
6. What older relatives do you remember, and what about them intrigues you?
7. What was your hobby?
8. What were your chores in the family?
9. What was your family’s religion, and did you attend church?
10. Who were your friends as you grew up?
11. Do you have any loyal or famous bloodline, or was anyone one of your relatives ever featured in the media?

Family Stories and Anecdotes

Questions about family stories and anecdotes encourage your relatives to share personal anecdotes and oral histories. They also help you gain insights into family resilience and the impact individuals had on the family and society. 

Below are important questions about family stories and anecdotes to ask relatives for genealogy research. 

1. What are some stories you remember about our family?
2. What time can you say our family faced immense challenges?
3. What family members stand out to you for their characters?
4. What did you hear your grandparents say about their lives?
5. Who is the oldest individual in your family you had the privilege to meet in your life?

Personal History and Experiences

Family history interview questions about personal history and experiences provide a context for the social and cultural environment through which they grew up. They are also a rich source of your family’s educational background and milestones achieved. 

Below are some essential personal history and experiences questions you should ask your relatives for your genealogy research.

1. What was life like when you were growing up?
2. What was your schooling and education life?
3. What were your dreams and goals as a teenager?
4. What career did you pursue and why?
5. Please highlight the best moment(s) in your life.
6. What prominent challenges have you faced in life, and which ones left you stronger?
7. What achievements are you most proud of?
8. What would you like people to remember about you?

Genealogical Information

Genealogical questions directly aid in creating a comprehensive family tree while verifying any research, documents, artifacts, and traditions. Below are the most important questions to ask your relatives for genealogical information:

1. What are the names of your great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents?
2. Do you have exact dates and places of births, marriages, and deaths for any members of your family?
3. Are there any special bibles, photos, heirlooms and other memorabilia that have been passed down in our family?
4. What is our family’s origin?
5. What family stories have you heard?
6. What is the origin and meaning of our family surname?
7. What is our family’s naming tradition?

Migration and Settlement

If your family has a migration history, asking migration and settlement questions from a relative may uncover migration and settlement patterns, their reasons, and the impact they may have today.

Below are the most critical family history interview questions to ask relatives in regard to migration and settlement:

1. What is our family’s old country?
2. What prompted our ancestors to migrate?
3. How did our ancestors migrate?
4. How and why did our family decide the destination?
5. Are there notable ships or trips associated with our family’s migration? 
6. Are there relatives who migrated to different countries or states?

Cultural and Historical Context

Understanding the history and culture of your family can help link the stories with historical events. Answers from your relatives can also provide insights into traditions and cultural practices within your family. 

Here are the most important questions to ask relatives for your family tree research. 

1. What historical event(s) greatly impacted our family?
2. How did our family celebrate special occasions?
3. What beliefs and values are at the core of our family?
4. What fads did you have in your youth? Clothes? Hairstyles?
5. What are some of the hardest decisions you had to make in your life?
6. What artistic talent seems to be running down our family?

Health and Medical History

Questions about the health and medical histories across your family may be sensitive to your interviewee, so it’s wise to tread with respect and empathy. Their responses may help you understand significant events on your family tree and genetic risks that could be running down your family. 

Below are key questions to ask your relatives for a glimpse of your family’s health and medical history. 

1. What health issues or hereditary conditions are known to run in our family?
2. Are there family members who served in the military?

Unanswered Questions and Mysteries

Asking on unanswered questions and mysteries in your family helps further explore unresolved legends and questions. However, the most valuable responses may only come from people in your family with the most knowledge about your history. 

The most important questions to ask your relatives include:

1. Has anyone in our family ever gone missing? And what was behind it?
2. What are some of the questions and mysteries that still linger regarding our family?
3. Who could have some answers to these mysteries?

Ask Around For Informed Family History Research

Interviews with family relatives provide crucial information not found in any records. Besides, they help you further understand your heritage and background beyond records, names, and crucial dates. All you need is to establish the best interviewee, prepare in advance, record the conversation, create a perfect environment, be respectful and patient, and stick to open-ended questions.