By Barry J. Ewell

Well-crafted, open-ended questions can yield fruitful results when you interview family for purposes of family history. The following is an outline of questions you may want to consider. Take time to tailor the questions to the person you are interviewing.

When you are ready to conduct an interview, have the questions in front of you to make sure you are getting the information you desire. Conversations about family can go many directions. When possible, record the interview on audio or video.

1. What is your full name and why were you named that? (Maiden name for females)
2. Were you named after someone else?
3. Did you have a nickname as you were growing up?
4. If you did, what was it and why did they call you that?
5. Have you had any other nicknames as an adult? Continue reading →

By Barry J. Ewell

Do you want to write you own history but don’t know where to begin? The following themes are some of the many threads that weave through our lives. Think of each theme in relation to the different stages of your life: Early childhood, teen years, young adult, middle age and retirement years. What stayed consistent? What changed? And maybe this is all you write! What story do you have to tell? Story themes and Ideas The following themes are some of the many threads that weave through our lives. Think of each theme in relation to the different stages of your life: Early childhood, teen years, young adult, middle age and retirement years. What stayed consistent? What changed? And maybe this is all you write! What story do you have to tell? Places Lived List addresses and descriptions of places you’ve lived. Include unique features you remember about each.

• The tile in the bathroom.
• The fabric on the living room drapes.
• The end table Grandpa made.
• The chandler your son broke playing Tarzan.
• The secret fort up in the tree.
• The lime green colored cabinets of your first basement apartment together…… Continue reading →