This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.
Topic Info:
Week 52's theme is "You." I've often said that we need to remember that we are a part of our own family history. What do want future generations to know about you?
Lately, I've been thinking about this more and more probably due to the death of my brother and not having any children to pass things along to. I'm almost resigned to the fact when future generations, if they are told at all, will be told the wrong thing as its already started to happen to others within the family which is sad.
However, be it, I've done the best I could to put the family back into contact as much as I could, or at least let people know where others have been located. In some situations, it's been positive and as much of a learning experience for me as it has been for the person or people I've helped.
I can rest assured of I've done the right things and that I can take proudly with me as I move on to not being on the earth any longer when that time comes.
Hell, the things I've had happen to me or I've done, I should have been gone years ago. If I were a cat, I think I'm up to the 2nd, and probably onto the 3rd, round of 9 lives at this stage. I'm satisfied I've lived a full life.
I've started to write up some of the main questions to ask relatives, so at least this will, hopefully, tell someone who looks up the family history about me and my life. These questions I will leave with my research under my folder, but unless someone wants to know more about me, then they'll have to have access to that information.
However, if you want to read about my life, in general, you can either go to our website or go directly to the page.
If you feel you would like to do some of the ancestor questions, some of them are below.
Questions to ask relatives & yourself
What is your full name?
How did you get your name? Why did your parents select this name for you?
Did you have any nicknames?
When and where were you born?
Were there other family members in the area? Who?
How did your family come to live there?
What did your childhood home look like?What was the house (apartment, farm, etc.) like? How many rooms? Bathrooms? Did it have electricity? Indoor plumbing? Telephones?
Were there any special items in the house that you remember?
Best memories of your father?
Best memories of your mother?
Describe the personalities of your family members.
What is your earliest childhood memory?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
What are your siblings’ names, dates of birth and spouses names?
Who was the oldest relative you remember as a child? What do you remember about them?
What stories have come down to you about your parents? Grandparents? More distant ancestors?
What was the full name of your spouse/s? Spouse/s siblings? Spouse/s parents?
When and how did you meet your spouse? What did you do on dates?
Have any recipes been passed down to you from family members?
Are there any physical characteristics that run in your family?
What do you know about your family surname?
Is there a naming tradition in your family, such as always giving the firstborn son the name of his paternal grandfather?
What did you do for fun? (sports, games activities)
What was your town/city like?
What were your daily chores?
What kind of games did you play growing up?
What was your favorite toy and why?
What was your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, beach, etc.)?
Did you have any pets? If so, what kind and what were their names?
Did you receive an allowance? How much? Did you save your money or spend it?
Did you have family chores? What were they? Which was your least favorite?
Describe a typical family dinner.
Did you all eat together as a family? Who did the cooking? What were your favorite foods?
What was school like for you as a child? What were your best and worst subjects? Where did you attend grade school? High school? College?
What was your religion growing up? What church, if any, did you attend?
Who were your childhood heroes?
Who did you have a “crush” on?
Do you remember any fads from your youth? Popular hairstyles? Clothes?
How were holidays (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) celebrated in your family? Did your family have special traditions?
Tell me about your first date.
Who were your friends when you were growing up?
What school activities and sports did you participate in?
Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper?
What were your favorite songs and music?
What was it like when you proposed (or were proposed to)? Where and when did it happen?
How did you feel?
Where and when did you get married?
What memory stands out the most from your wedding day?
How would you describe your spouse? What do (did) you admire most about them?
What do you believe is the key to a successful marriage?
What world events had the most impact on you while you were growing up? Did any of them
personally affect your family?
How is the world today different from what it was like when you were a child?
What famous person did you look up to?
Are there any stories about famous or infamous relatives in your family?
What jobs did you have and how much did you earn?
Tell me about when you learned to drive a car. Who taught you?
What type of car was it?
How did you find out you were going to be a parent for the first time?
Why did you choose your children’s names?
What was your proudest moment as a parent?
What did your family enjoy doing together?
What was your profession and how did you choose it?
If you could have had any other profession what would it have been? Why wasn’t it your first
choice?
Of all the things you learned from your parents, which do you feel was the most valuable?
What accomplishments were you the most proud of?
What is the one thing you most want people to remember about you?
I hope these help you get started to define your relatives or even yourself.
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