Life History Questionaire
Life History
As you gather and put in place the middle of the puzzle, genealogy, what information do you want? Vital statistics, yes, but there is much more to a family history than lists of names and dates. For example, if you have a pet, it surely has a name. What did Dad call his dog when he was a boy? What did Great-grandma call her cow? What did Great-granddad call his mule?
Each answer may suggest new questions. If you are really listening, you begin to wonder, "Well, why did he do that?" or "How did they do that?" or "What did it look like?" Ask.
There are hundreds of questions you can ask about each generation. The farther back you go, the fewer answers you receive. But a few answers will give you some picture. The questions suggested here will stretch over many visits or letters. Each person may answer several, but no one could be expected to answer them all. Some of the questions will produce unexpected responses: "Good grief, yes,!" or "For crying out loud! Do you think we lived like the Queen of England?" Okay, we live and learn. That is why we ask questions.
You can start with yourself and make notes on your own history. Ask your parents about their childhood, schooling, teen years, and early married life. Ask grandparents and anyone else who can contribute to the middle of the puzzle.
It is helpful to keep in mind that these questions serve basically two purposes: to extend the information on genealogy charts and to gather life history. Information which contributes to these goals is desirable. Some pieces of information are more important than others. Some are more interesting. Historians seek any pertinent information, but the family historian will want to be careful not to intrude into someone's private territory and not pull out of the closet skeletons which might cause harm or embarrassment. Family histories must be truthful, but families may prefer to leave some chapters closed where it is unnecessary to mention the information at all. We must honor their wishes.
The following questions are suggestions for researching a person’s life history.
Childhood
1. Gather letters or stories about yourself when you were an infant and a child: firsts, growth, funny incidents, curiosity, likes and dislikes, vocabulary, habits, diseases and accidents.
2. Brothers and sisters: names, your relationship with them. What stands out about them in your memory of childhood?
3. What is your earliest memory of your house, your family, your town, world affairs?
4. Who were your playmates, pets? What games, toys, celebrations, and playmates were your favorites? How important were television, movies, radio, bicycles in your childhood?
5. Where was your house? If in a city, what address? What county? State? Is the house still standing? What did it look like? How many rooms? Which ones? Describe the house and furnishings: one or two story? frame? brick? painted? porch? garage? yard? outbuildings? fireplaces? kind of floor, wall coverings?
6. How easily or often did you get into mischief? Why? What punishments did you occur? Were your parents strict? What rules did you have to follow?
7. What are your most vivid memories of childhood?
8. What relatives do you remember and what stands out in your mind about them? What trips did you take to visit relatives?
9. What chores were yours to do? Did you get an allowance? How did you get your spending money? What did you do with it? What was the financial condition of the family?
10. How did you celebrate birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, July 4, or other holidays?
11. What were family customs for weekends? Sundays? Summer days?
12. What unusual events do you recall (fires, storms, moving, etc)?
13. How far was school from your house? How did you get to school? During what hours were you in school? When did school start in the fall and let out in the summer? What subjects did you like best? least? Were you able to attend school regularly? What do you remember about your teachers? Does any one of them stand out in your mind as having a large influence on you? How good were your grades? Did you feel pressure to make good grades? How did you spend recess? What memories stand out in your mind about elementary school? junior high school?
14. What did you do in the summer or when you were not in school? trips? sports? scouting? camping?
15. Did you study music, art, dancing? What hobbies did you have?
16. What were your childhood favorites: foods, clothes, sport, story, movie, hero, people?
17. What part did church and religious activities play in your childhood, both at home and away from home?
18. What were your dreams or plans for the future? Which have become reality?
19. What experience did you have with death as a child? What funeral or burial customs were followed by the family or area?
20. What neighborhood gatherings, social or working, do you recall?
Teen Years
1. What high school did you attend? Where? How long? Did you graduate? Did you go to college? Where? How did you choose your college? How did you finance your education? In high school (or college), what were your favorite or least favorite subjects? Is there someone from these years who had great influence on you? How large was the school? What clubs or sports did you participate in? Did you enter contests? (explain.) What do you recall about teachers? classmates? What were some of the school rules? dress code? How did you get to school? How far was it from home? What did you do for lunch? What courses helped you the most?
2. What kinds of parties did you attend? Where did you go on dates? When did you start dating? What rules governed dating at your house? What did you enjoy most for recreation?
3. What clothes were in style when you were in high school?
4. What were your plans or desires at that time of your life? Have you done those things?
5. What chores were your responsibility at home? (Describe.)
6. Did you have pets? What kind? names?
7. What did you read?
8. What unusual or special events do you recall?
9. Where did you live? Was it the same house you lived in as a child? If not, please describe.
10. Did you enjoy music? dancing? art? other hobbies? Did any of the family sing or play musical instruments? Did you make any of your own clothes? Were you in the school band?
11. Did you have a job? Doing what? How much money did you earn? How did you use your earnings?
12. What did you do in the summer?
13. What rules governed your household? Were you allowed to play cards? date without a chaperone? stay out past dark? go to movies? dance? eat with the adults? wear slacks to school? Were you required to go to church on Wednesday nights as well as Sunday? stand when adults entered the room? What was considered "proper" Sunday or Sabbath conduct? What were considered "proper" manners? dress?
14. Did you attend religious services? Where? What other religious activities did you participate in?
15. Did you participate in any service projects? (Explain.)
16. What neighborhood gatherings do you recall?
17. What experience did you have with death as a teenager? What funeral or burial customs do you recall?
Adulthood
1. When did you get married? Describe the wedding, clothes, attendants, parties, gifts, etc.
2. What can you tell me about your courtship and dating? How did you meet your husband (or wife)?
3. What jobs have you held? What jobs has your husband (wife) held? Have wages changed much since you first worked?
4. What trips have you taken? Which have you enjoyed most?
5. What church, civic, club, political , or service activities have you participated in?
6. What is your political affiliation?
7. What is your church affiliation?
8. Do you enjoy participating in music, art, gardening, hand crafts, needlework, sewing, carpentry, etc.? Which members of the family do (did) which of these activities?
9. How does the family celebrate holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, July 4? What other traditions have you established in your family? What other holidays do you celebrate? How?
10. What kind of cars have you had? When did you get your first car? How much have the cars cost?
11. What are your favorite recipes?
12. What do you consider your special talents or abilities? What do you do best?
13. What gives you the most pleasure?
14. What are the favorite family stories?
15. When and where were your children born? What stands out in your mind about each one as a small child? as a teenager?
16. Where have you lived? Tell me about each house.
17. Do you have grandchildren? Who?
18. What rules did you set for your children?
19. Do you enjoy entertaining? friends? relatives? business associates? What kind of entertaining do you do?
Taken from "Unpuzzling Your Past" by Emily Anne Croom (1983).
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