Generations of Stories

Activity: Conduct an Interview

24 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment

by Jennifer Holik-Urban in Uncategorized, Writing Tags: ancestor, ancestry, family, family history, family tree, genealogy, researching family history, writing family history

Now that you have begun gathering information on your family, it is time to do a little writing. The best place to start is with your parents. Here are a few questions to get you going. After you conduct the interview, write up a short story about what you learned.

1. What is your full name?
2. When and where were you born? What hospital?
3. What are your parents names?
4. When and where were they born?
5. When were they married?
6. When did you get married?
7. What schools did you attend growing up?
8. What was your favorite subject?
9. Where did you live growing up?
10. Did you go to college? Where? What did you study?
11. What are the names of your siblings?
12. What are their birth dates? Who did they marry and when?
13. What is your occupation?
14. What did your parents do for a living?
15. Did your parents go to college?
16. Are you right or left-handed?
17. What color are your eyes?
18. What color is your hair?
19. What about your parents eye color?
20. If you are interviewing your mom, ask her what her maiden name was.

After the interview is over, write a short story about your parents’ lives. This is the beginning of the story of your family.