10 Questions to Ask Your Grandparents Before the Next Family Gathering

Every family has a storyteller or two. Often they're the ones who've been quietly holding the family together for decades. The next time you gather, whether it's a reunion, a holiday dinner, or a Sunday visit, take a few minutes to ask. You'll be surprised what you learn.

Some tips before you start: ask one question at a time, listen more than you talk, and let silences happen. Ask permission before recording anything, and keep it comfortable. If someone doesn't want to answer a question, move on.

The ten questions

1. What is your earliest memory?
2. What was your house like when you were growing up, and who lived there?
3. What did your parents and grandparents do for work?
4. What was a typical Sunday like when you were a kid?
5. What's a family recipe or tradition you remember, and where did it come from?
6. What was the hardest time your family went through, and how did you get through it?
7. What's something you're proud of that most of us don't know?
8. Who in the family do you think I'm most like, and why?
9. Where did our family come from, and how did we end up here?
10. What do you hope the family remembers about you?

Keep what you hear

Stories fade fast. Write them down the same day, or ask permission to record the conversation. Then put them somewhere your whole family can see, next to the people they're about. In Heritorie, you can add people to your family tree and keep their stories together with them. The Family Planner's elder story station is built for reunions: private, consent-based recording, so the people sharing are always in control.

Start with one

You don't need to ask all ten. Pick one, ask it this week, and write down the answer. That's how a family history begins.

Heritorie is a private family tree and reunion site. No DNA, ever. The first 100 signups are free for life: see heritorie.com/first100.