Video Interview Seniors Family Members Genealogy Keepsake
Description
Wouldn’t it be amazing to have your family members record their memories for posterity with an amazing high quality video and a fun life interview that covers all the important moments of their life?
Terry Hoknes is a genealogist and family tree specialist who has done many interviews with fascinating questions and in depth look at your life and your memories.
LIFE INTERVIEW
Talking about our lives is how we learn more about ourselves, others, the world, and life. This makes the stories of your life unique and valuable!
Its an amazing keepsake for future generations to have a video and audio documentary with a family member. We can learn so much from past generations who have lived different lifestyles, situations and events.
Doing a life interview is a chance to travel through time. You'll find out interesting things about the past as you hear about real-life experiences. You will discover some timeless insights into your families history.
Our video interviews offer a number of benefits
It's a way to pass on family stories and traditions, and preserve family history and cultural heritage.
It gives you an opportunity to reflect on their life achievements as well as disappointments.
It enables you to find out interesting things about family members and community, as well as the broader historical past.
We meet with your relative and interview them about their lives and we can go do a general quick overview of their life or we can do a very lengthy look at their life going into greater detail including their knowledge of their ancestors origins, friends, community.
Here are many samples of the types of questions we might ask
Interview questions will be customized based on each individual
Life Interview Questions – Childhood
Life Events – Childhood
What year were you born? On what date? What day of the week was it? Did your parents tell you anything
about the day you were born?
Where were you born?
Why were you given the first (and middle) name(s) that you have?
What’s your first, most vivid memory?
What was the apartment or house like that you grew up in? How many bedrooms did it have? Bathrooms?
What was your bedroom like?
Can you describe the neighbourhood you grew up in?
Tell me about your parents. Where were they born? When were they born? What memories do you have of
them?
Who was more strict: your mother or your father? Do you have a vivid memory of something you did that
you were disciplined for?
Did your parents have a good marriage?
How did your family earn money? How did your family compare to others in the neighbourhood – richer,
poorer, the same?
What kinds of things did your family spend money on?
How many brothers and sisters do you have? When were they born? What memories do you have of each
of them from when you were growing up?
Did you have grandparents? Where were they born? When were they born? What do you remember about
them? When did they die?
Did you have any pets?
What were you like as a child? What did you like to eat? What did you do for fun? What were your favourite
toys or games? Did you ever have a secret place or a favourite hiding spot?
What did you wear?
Did you get an allowance? How much? Did you spend it right away, or save it? What did you buy?
What responsibilities did you have at home when you were young?
What kind of school did you go to? Were you a good student? What was your favorite subject? Least
favorite? Who were your friends? Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Did you have any heroes or role models when you were a child?
How did you spend your summer holidays? What were your favorite summer activities?
Where did your family go on vacations?
How did your family celebrate holidays (e.g. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, Easter, Memorial Day)? Did
lots of relatives get together? What traditions did you have year after year? What food was served?
What was the best gift you remember receiving as a child?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
What big world events do you remember from the time you were growing up?
What inventions do you most remember?
What’s different about growing up today from when you were growing up?
When you were a teenager, what did you do for fun? Did you have a favorite spot to “hang out”? What
time did you have to be home at night? Did you ever get into any trouble?
Were there any phrases that were popular when you were a teenager? What did you like to wear? How did
your parents feel about the way you talked and what you wore?
When did you learn how to drive? Who taught you? What was your first car like?
What was your graduation from high school like?
What dreams and goals did you have for your life when you graduated?
Life Interview Questions – Adulthood, Identity
Did you go to university or college? How did you decide what you wanted to study?
Did you serve in the military? What did you do and what kind of experience was it?
How did you decide what you wanted to do with your life? How do you feel about that choice?
What was your first job? What did you like or not like about it?
What job did you do most of your life? What did you like most about it? Least?
How did you meet your spouse? What did you like about him/her?
How and when did you get engaged?
When did you get married? How old were you? Where did you get married? What was your wedding like?
What was the first big purchase you made with your spouse?
What makes your spouse special or unique?
How many children do you have? When were they born? How did you decide what to name each?
What’s your favorite story about each of your children?
What is something funny or embarrassing one of your children said at an early age that you’ll never forget?
What’s the most memorable family vacation you took?
What do you remember about holiday celebrations? Is there one holiday memory that stands out for you?
How did you feel about raising your children? What was the best part? The hardest part?
What makes you proud of your children?
How is my father/mother like me? Unlike me?
What do you remember about me when I was born? What about when I was younger than I am now?
What the best thing about being a parent? A grandparent?
Do you know the meaning of your family name? Are there stories about the origins of your family name?
Have you ever had any nicknames as a child or as an adult? Where did they come from?
How are you like your mother? Unlike her? How are you like your father? Unlike him?
What was most important to your parents?
Do you feel you’re like any of your grandparents? In what ways?
How are your children like you? Unlike you?
What do you think are your three best qualities? Your three worst?
Which do you think you have the most of: talent, intelligence, education, or persistence? How has it helped
you in your life?
Do you have any special sayings or expressions?
What’s your favorite book and why? What’s your favorite movie and why?
Who are three people in history you admire most and why?
What have been the three biggest news events during your lifetime and why?
If you could travel into the future, would you rather see something that specifically relates to you, or
something that relates to the future of the country in general? Why?
If you could have three wishes, what would they be?
If you won $1 million tomorrow, what would you do with the money?
What’s the highest honor or award you’ve ever received?
What’s the most memorable phone call you’ve ever received?
What’s the best compliment you ever received?
What kinds of things bring you the most pleasure now? When you were a younger adult? A child?
What things frighten you now? What frightened you when you were a younger adult? A child?
What’s the one thing you’ve always wanted but still don’t have?
Do you feel differently about yourself now from how you felt when you were younger? How?
What do you think has stayed the same about you throughout life? What do you think has changed?
Life Events – Adulthood
Do you have any hobbies or special interests? Do you enjoy any particular sports?
What’s your typical day like now? How is it different from your daily routines in the past?
Is the present better or worse than when you were younger?
What do you do for fun?
Who do you trust and depend on?
What things are most important to you now? Why?
How have your dreams and goals changed through your life?
What do you see? (Hold a mirror up to the person)
What do you remember about your 20s? 30s? 40s? 50s? 60s? What events stand out in your mind? How
was each age different from the one before it?
There are some ages we don’t look forward to. What birthday were you least enthusiastic about? Why?
If you could go back to any age, which age would it be and why?
How do you feel now about growing old? What’s the hardest thing about growing older? The best thing?
What were your parents like when they got older?
Did you have any expectations at points in your life about what growing older would be like for you?
How should a person prepare for old age? Is there anything you wish you’d done differently?
Do you think about the future and make plans? What are your concerns for the future?
If you live another 20-30 years, what will you do? Do you want to live another 20-30 years?
What do you look forward to now?
What’s your most cherished family tradition? Why is it important?
community | other
2021-03-17