Interviewing Family Members

Updated November 24, 2007

Whether you decide to gather information from family members through questionnaires, formal interviews, or casual conversations, you need to remember that there is more than one way to conduct an interview. We primarily think of an interview as two or more people sitting in a room, speaking face to face, but interviews can also be conducted over the telephone, through regular mail (sending letters, audio tapes, video tapes, and such), through email, in a chat session, on a message board, and so forth. Do whatever works best for your situation, but don't forget to thoroughly document the source.

Always be polite and do something to show your gratitude for your family member's cooperation. You may want to simply write a thank you note, bake them some cookies, buy a gift, or do something special to say "thanks." Shows of gratitude will make it easier for you to get an interview with the same individuals in the future if necessary.

Forms and Questionnaires

The easiest way to start getting information about your family from your family members is to pass out pedigree charts and family group sheets to everyone and ask all of them to fill out the charts and give them back to you. Questionnaires are also excellent tools for getting answers to your specific questions.

The drawback to forms and questionnaires is that they are limiting. Some family members may feel that they are supposed to fill in the blanks with very specific information and don't give you the extra details. For example, a questionnaire or form that asks the interviewee to describe an event (such as a wedding or a birth) may end up getting you the date, location, and individuals involved but could lack the stories that make the event interesting. Another problem with forms and questionnaires is that they may not allow the individual to write as much as they want to write because of a lack of writing area. Even if you provide extra pieces of paper, some family members may feel inhibited to use them for various reasons.

Forms and questionnaires are excellent starting points to help you think about topics you would like to expand on in interviews and for providing clues to bigger questions, but don't limit yourself to them. Also, make sure that each person puts his/her name and and the date on each form or questionnaire, so you can cite it correctly when you document your sources. It's also nice to have them write the information in their own handwriting and provide a signature, so years after they have passed on, the next generations can get a glimpse of how they wrote.

Formal Interviews

A formal interview is an excellent way to get the more detailed answers you need from family members. Before you set up a formal interview, be prepared. You never know if the potential interviewee will say, "Sure, but you have to come over within the next hour because I'm busy for the next month."

• Have your interview questions ready.
• Have a notebook and multiples pens or pencils to write down notes.
• Have an audio and/or video (camcorder and/or camera) recorder ready to go with extra media (tapes, discs, cards, and so forth), extra batteries, a power source you can plug into the wall, and any accessories (such as a microphone or lights) that you'll need.
• Pack a bag with any personal items you may need, so you don't need to ask for anything (such as snacks, tissues, and so forth).

Some will refuse to be video or audio recorded, while others will jump in front of the camera and talk until you use up all of your video tapes or discs (and then they'll talk some more).

Informal Interviews / Conversations

Some family members, though, will be intimidated by the question "Can I interview you?" as if you're going to give them a test, and they're worried that they'll give the wrong answers. If your family member is a bit on the shy side or gets nervous, try just having a conversation (informal interview) with him / her (over the phone or in person) and taking notes and/or recording the conversation with an audio or video recorder. (Don't record them without their knowledge and permission, or you'll lose their trust; not to mention, it's also illegal.)

Relaxed conversations are also an excellent way to get information about of the not-so-shy family members as well because natural conversation (rather than a question and answer session) helps stimulate memory. Here are some ideas to help get the conversations started.

• Look through old photo albums and scrapbooks with family members and ask them about the people in each photo.
• Look through old letters and ask the recipient or author to tell you more about them.
• Ask questions about sentimental items and heirlooms.
• Ask about the origins of family traditions or their memories of the tradition.
• Ask your family members to fill in any gaps and correct errors in the information you already have.
• Give your opinion about something happening in current events; it may remind them of a previous event in their lives that they will talk about.

Questions to Consider

• Personal Facts
  • What is your full name as written on your birth certificate?
  • Do you go by any nicknames, shortened names, or alternative names?
  • Where were you born? (be as specific as possible)
  • When were you born? (be as specific as possible)
  • Do you recall any stories about your birth?
  • Were you adopted?
• Family Migration
  • Where have you lived throughout your life?
  • When did you move to each new location?
  • Why did you move to each place?
  • How did you travel to each new place?
  • What was the move like?
• Occupations
  • What jobs have you held during your life and when?
  • Military service?
  • How did you get the job?
  • What did you like / dislike about the job?
  • How much did you get paid?
  • How many hours did you work a day? Week?
  • How many days did you get off?
• Education
  • How old were you when you started school?
  • What is the highest grade you completed?
  • What schools did you go to? When did you attend? Where are they?
  • Were you a "good" student or a "bad" student? Describe.
  • What were your favorite subjects?
  • What subjects did you dislike?
  • What subjects were you good at?
  • How were behavior problems handled?
  • What were the names of your teachers for each class? What were they like?
• Religion
  • What religion are you (have you been in the past)?
  • What church/temple/etc. did you attend?
  • When did you go there?
  • What would you do there?
• Hobbies
  • Do you have any crafting or mechanical skills (needlepoint, crochet, fixing cars, woodworking, and so forth)?
  • How did you learn these skills?
  • What art forms have you practiced (writing, painting, dancing, acting, playing a musical instrument, sculpting, and so forth)?
  • How did you learn and study these art forms?
• Vacations
  • What vacations have you gone on?
  • Where did you go?
  • When did you go?
  • How long did it last?
  • How did you get there?
  • How long was the trip?
  • Who else was with you?
  • What did you do on the trip?
• Living Conditions
  • What types of homes did you live in?
  • When did you live in each home?
  • What was the neighborhood like?
  • What did the house look like? Inside? Outside?
  • What was the layout of the home?
  • How big was the yard?
  • What did the yard look like?
  • Did you own or rent the home?
  • Were there any other buildings on the property?
  • Who lived there with you?
  • Where did you eat?
  • Where did you sleep?
  • How did you heat your home?
  • How did you cool your home?
  • How did you get your water?
  • What were the bathrooms like?
  • What kind of stove / oven did you use?
  • What kind of refrigerator did you use?
  • How did you store your food?
  • How did you clean your laundry?
  • How did you light your home?
  • Did you have pets?
• Childhood
  • What chores did you have?
  • What toys did you have?
  • Favorite toy?
  • What games did you play?
  • Favorite?
• Adolescence
  • What did you do when you were a teenager for fun?
  • What were your friends like?
  • Did you have a job?
• Achievements and Wisdom
  • What are your favorite memories?
  • What memories would you like to forget?
  • What was your greatest achievement?
  • What do you wish you had done?
  • What is the most important lesson in life?
• Historical Events (it's a good idea to research events before the interview and ask about memories of each specific event)
  • What major historical events happened during your life?
  • Natural disasters?
  • What inventions were introduced during your life?
  • What politicians did you vote for?
  • What laws did you vote for/against?
• Family Traditions
  • What holidays did your family celebrate?
  • What did you do to celebrate those holidays?
  • What did your family do together?

Family Members (an ancestry chart and some family groups sheets may be useful) Ask the above information about family members.

• Spouse
• Children
• Brothers (older / younger, step, half)
• Brothers' Spouses
• Brothers' Children (nieces and nephews)
• Sisters (older / younger, step, half)
• Sisters' Spouses
• Sisters' Children (nieces and nephews)
• Mother
• Father
• Mother's Siblings (your aunts and uncles)
• Mother's Siblings' Spouses (your aunts and uncles by marriage)
• Mother's Siblings' Children (your first cousins)
• Father's Siblings (your aunts and uncles)
• Father's Siblings' Spouses (your aunts and uncles by marriage)
• Father's Siblings' Children (your first cousins)
• Mother's Parents (your grandparents)
• Father's Parents (your grandparents)
• Grandparents' Siblings (your great aunts and uncles)
• Grandparents' Siblings' Spouses (your great aunts and uncles by marriage)
• Grandparents' Siblings Children
• And anyone else you can think of