There
are many aspects and important factors to remember when researching your family
but the most important thing to remember is probably the simplest one… always
ask questions. Some are to be directed to certain people while others are After
all, this process is about finding answers so it is only natural that we start
this process with a list of questions. Surprisingly, many lose sight of this
essential aspect to the process and overlook both some of the questions that
need to be answered as well as to whom those questions should be addressed.
What
I have found in my numerous conversations with genealogists across all experience
levels is that there are many basic questions that we assume and never directly
ask either ourselves or others. With that in mind, I decided to take a few
minutes and create an essential form to reference throughout the research
process. These questions are designed so that we can ask ourselves in reference
to distant family members as well as something that we can sit down and ask
ourselves or others in our family.
- What is your full name?
- Nickname? Why?
- Where and when were you born?
- What is your father’s name? Where and when was he
born? Where and when did he pass away?
- What was your father’s personality? What were his
interests? What was his occupation?
- What is your mother’s maiden name? Where and when
was she born? Where and when did she pass away?
- What was your mother’s personality? What were her
interests? What was her occupation?
- Earliest memory of your parents?
- Most prominent memory/memories about your
parents?
- What did you talk to your parents about the most
when growing up? Older?
- What was your grandmother’s maiden name? Where
and when was she born? Where and when did she pass away?
- What is your grandmother’s personality? What were
her interests? What was her occupation?
- What is your grandfather’s name? Where and when
was he born? Where and when did he pass away?
- What was your grandfather’s personality? What were
his interests? What was his occupation?
- Most prominent memory/memories about your grandparents?
- What did you talk to your grandparents about the
most when growing up? Older?
- Can you provide details of any additional
generations of your family?
- Who are the other family members that played a
prominent role in your life?
- Who were you named after?
- Where did you grow up?
- What do you remember most about the town where
you grew up?
- What is your religion? What do you remember about
your faith during your youth?
- Did you have pets growing up?
- Name/location of high school? College?
- Interests, major, sports, activities while in
school?
- What books/movies do you remember?
- What did you want to be when you grew up?
- Who were your heroes? Inspirations? Motivators?
- Did you travel anywhere growing up? Where? When?
Memories?
- What family stories/legends do you remember being
told? From whom did you hear these stories?
- First job? Second Job?
- Did you serve in the military? Branch?
Occupation? Years?
- Where/when did you meeting your husband/wife?
- When/where did you get married?
- Name of your spouse?
- Children?
- What are your interests/hobbies/affiliations as
an adult?
- What questions, if any, do you have about your
family history?
- Have you ever researched your family history?
- Have you ever discussed your family history with
other family members?
- Do you have any photos of the
people/events/places previously mentioned?
- Do you have any other family photos that you
would like to share?
- Do you have any family documents (birth,
marriage, death, naturalization, citations, certificates, etc.)?
- Do you have any items that have been passed down in the family?
While
this is by no means a comprehensive list, it should be a good start when really
putting together complete profiles of the current and past generations of your
family. Obviously, the ideal situation would be that someone would answer these
questions for themselves but one can also apply these questions (obviously not
all of them) to ancestors across the centuries. You may be surprised at how
much information you have, how the pieces fit together, and how motivating some
of these basic questions can be to try and find these answers. However, as I
have said before, don’t put forth all of this effort without going through the
process yourself. Make sure you have your answers and you are represented in
your own family history.
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