Want to hear the stories about your ancestors but don’t know where to begin? The ideal approach to conducting family history surveys is to ask open-ended questions (rather than yes/no questions). However, it’s far more interesting—for both you and the interviewee—to discuss the stories and emotions surrounding the events in your family’s past.
When you’re ready to conduct an interview, have follow-up questions to ensure you acquire the knowledge you need. Record the interview on audio or video wherever feasible.
You might be thinking of talking to your parents and siblings, but it is important to include grandparents, aunts, and uncles as well, as they might have the most knowledge about your ancestral history.
Here are some of the simplest questions that almost everyone can relate to:
Talk About Their Memories
Although you should ask about your lineage and your direct ancestor’s names as well, don’t just stop there. You should also ask for tales about them to learn about the types of people they were. Inquiring about occasions your relatives spent with their grandparents may bring up other ancestors. Even if no more ancestors are named, you will learn a lot about how your older relatives were as a child and what their parents were like, which is important for genealogy.
Get Insight About Holiday Traditions
Inquiring about holiday traditions, as well as what holidays your relative’s family celebrated when they were young can reveal a lot about how your family’s heritage. It will also provide you with more information about the times your family has lived through. You may even have some ideas for past customs you’d like to reintroduce.
Make Sure To Include Childhood Memories
This will reveal what your ancestors enjoyed, as well as the type of person your ancestor was as a child. It will also inform you about the customs of the time, the norms of the area where your ancestor grew up, and the type of people they were connected with when they were younger.
If you’re looking to get better insight into your ancestral history, consult My Ireland Family Heritage, located in Ireland. We offer services like heritage tours and personalised genealogy research. In addition, we help you to trace your Irish roots—so give us a call today to learn more about our services.
