Oral History Interview

Like a detective, you need informants to help with a case, and the best informants for your family history investigation are older relatives, such as grandparents, great-aunts or great-uncles.  If you are luck, maybe even your great-grandparents!  They can tell you all about memories of the family and their life before you or your parents were born.

Set up an interview with this family member.  The interview can be done in person, over Skype, or on the phone.

Remember, a good detective always brings a notepad and something to write with to their interview and takes good notes.

Ask anything you are curious about, but here are some good questions to ask.

1. Where did you grow up and what was it like?

2. What where your parents names? What were your siblings names?

3. What kind of jobs did your parents have?

4. What types of chores did you have?

5. What did you do for fun?

6. What is your happiest memory?

7. What do you remember about your grandparents?

8. What was school like?

9. What was your house like? How many bedrooms did it have?

Most importantly, ask:

10.  Do you know any stories about ancestors immigrating to America?  Where did they come from? What were their names?

Fill out the following after taking your notes.  > Oral History Interview Worksheet

Once you have completed this task, you can move on to the Ellis Island Database search.  Select "Ellis Islad Search" from the submenu on the left.