Are you prepared for the holiday gatherings? Which relatives are you going to see? What memories about you ancestors to they remember? Over this holiday season, Hidden Genealogy Nuggets has made several posts about preparing some questions to ask your relatives about your ancestors. Perhaps Great Aunt Ruth, knew your great great grandfather and can share some story you would never know without that personal knowledge.
Below is a summary of the topics we prepared some interview questions for.
Click on the links to review the questions we prepared for each of the topics. Ask these questions and include some of your own. You’ll be sure to learn some personal stories you would not hear otherwise.
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My family celebrates the Christmas Season by getting together on Christmas day, sharing a meal, playing cards and just spending time together. New Years Day is a time for gathering around the television and watching football. Whatever holiday your family celebrates provides a chance to hear stories about your ancestors.
This is another post in a series to help get you thinking about some questions to ask your older relatives at the holiday gathering. Before the family get together this holiday season do some homework and prepare some questions to ask your older relatives. Check out our new category of blog posts called “Genealogy Interview Questions”.
This post focuses on preparing questions for learning about the technology yous ancestors used in their everyday life. Ask your mom, dad, grandparents or older relatives and friends to learn more about the everyday items your ancestors used.
Technology and Your Ancestors
You may not think of a radio, television or a washing machine as a new technology. However it was not so long ago that these items were the new thing of the day. Learn about these and other “new” items your ancestor used.
- How often did you and your family listen to the radio?
- What shows did you listen to?
- What types of music did you listen to? What was your favorite music group?
- Do you or one of your relatives still have that antique radio? Take a photo if they do find out the brand, etc.
- When did your family get a television?
- Was it black and white or color?
- What shows do you remember watching? What was your favorite?
- How did you and your family do the laundry?
- Did you have a washer machine? a dryer machine?
- Did you hang your clothes outside on a clothes line?
- When did your family get a home movie camera?
- Do you still have the old home movies and projector? If so, see if you can get these movies digitized.
Use these questions or prepare some of your own and you’ll be sure to hear some interesting stories. If you have any additional questions on the day’s topic be sure to reply to this post to let other readers know.
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FIND THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE TIME IN NEWSPAPERS
My family celebrates the Christmas Season by getting together on Christmas day, sharing a meal, playing cards and just spending time together. New Years Day is a time for gathering around the television and watching football. Whatever holiday your family celebrates provides a chance to hear stories about your ancestors.
This is another post in a series to help get you thinking about some questions to ask your older relatives at the holiday gathering. Before the family get together this holiday season do some homework and prepare some questions to ask your older relatives. Check out our category of blog posts called “Genealogy Interview Questions”.
This post focuses on preparing questions for learning about the how your ancestors felt about moments in history. Ask your mom, dad, grandparents or older relatives and friends to learn more about how moments in history affected them.
- Where were you when you heard about the (attack on Pearl Harbor)?
- How did you find out about it (radio, television, someone told you)?
- How did you and your family react to the news?
- Did you or any of your relatives enlist in the armed forces because of the attack?
- How was your family affected by the event afterwords (weeks or even years later)?
- Did you know anyone who lost family members during the World War II? How did it affect them?
You can ask these same or similar questions about various moments in history. Here are some other points in history to ask your ancestors about.
- The great depression
- John F. Kennedy’s assassination
- Neil Armstrong Landing on the Moon
- The Space Shuttle Challenger accident
Use these questions or prepare some of your own and you’ll be sure to hear some interesting stories. If you have any additional questions on the day’s topic be sure to reply to this post to let other readers know.
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My family celebrates the Christmas Season by getting together on Christmas day, sharing a meal, playing cards and just spending time together. New Years Day is a time for gathering around the television and watching football. Whatever holiday your family celebrates provides a chance to hear stories about your ancestors.
This is another post in a series to help get you thinking about some questions to ask your older relatives at the holiday gathering. Before the family get together this holiday season do some homework and prepare some questions to ask your older relatives. Check out our new category of blog posts called “Genealogy Interview Questions”.
This week focuses on preparing questions for learning about the games your ancestor played as well as the presents they received. Ask your mom, dad, grandparents or older relatives and friends to learn more about the games your ancestors played and what they did to entertain themselves.
- What were some presents you remember getting for Christmas or a Birthday?
- Which present did you enjoy the most? Why?
- What games did you play when you were little?
- What kind of card games, if any did you play?
- What else did you do for entertainment around the house or going out somewhere?
- What kind of board games if any did you have or play?
- What movies do you remember going to see?
- How often did you go to the movies and how much did it cost?
- Who were some of the neighborhood friends that you played with? What were they like?
Use these questions or prepare some of your own and you’ll be sure to hear some interesting stories. If you have any additional questions on the day’s topic be sure to reply to this post to let other readers know.
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