Ancestry
Did your family immigrate to America, and if so, when and from where?
What is the origin of your last name? Do you know what it means?
Describe your parents: name, appearance, personality, career.
Describe your grandparents: name, appearance, personality, career.
Describe your siblings: name, appearance, personality, career.
Describe a specific relative: name, appearance, personality, career.
Were there any family members who were particularly well-known or influential in your community?
Were there any family stories or legends passed down through generations?
Are you related to anyone famous from history?
Upbringing
Describe your childhood home.
Did you ever move growing up? If so, how did that affect you?
What were 1–2 of your favorite meals you had as a family?
Were you closer to your mother or your father, and why?
What did you and your siblings do for fun?
What was a typical Sunday like for your family?
What was bedtime like in your house — did you have routines or stories?
Describe a time you got in trouble with your parents.
How did your family handle hard times? (Financial, spiritual, etc.)
What values were important to your family growing up? (Name 3)
What did your family do for vacations, if anything?
What were some of your favorite toys to play with?
Who were some of your favorite childhood pets?
Who was your closest family friend or neighbor growing up?
What is the earliest memory you can recall?
What did your family do for Christmas?
What did your family do for Thanksgiving?
What did your family do for 4th of July?
What did your family do for New Years?
What did your family do for Birthdays?
What did your family do for a specific holiday?
If you could relive one day with your family, what would it be?
If you had 5 minutes with your parents, what would you talk about?
Describe your neighborhood.
Describe your hometown.
Describe your church building.
Elementary School
Describe your elementary school building.
Did you walk to school, ride a bus, or get dropped off? Is there a moment that stands out?
Who was your favorite teacher?
What was your favorite subject?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Who was your best friend and are you still in touch?
Is there a moment in elementary school that really stands out in your memory?
Do you remember learning to read? What was that like?
What sports or activities were you involved in?
Were you a part of any school plays?
Did you ever get in trouble at school?
What did you do during summer breaks?
If you could relive one day in elementary school, what would it be?
Middle School
Describe your middle school building.
What music were you listening to at that age?
What movies do you remember seeing in theaters?
What were you most interested in or passionate about at that age?
Were you an early or late bloomer?
How did you feel about yourself? Was it a hard or a good time?
What sports or activities were you involved in?
Was there a teacher or coach who really impacted you?
Who were your best friends and what were they like?
What was the name of your first crush?
What did you do for fun on the weekends?
Where did you hang out after school?
What did you do during summer breaks?
Did you learn any skill during that time that you still have to this day?
If you could relive one day in middle school, what would it be?
High School
Describe your high school building.
Describe your first car.
Who were your best friends and what were they like?
What clique or group did you belong to?
Did you date anyone? What were they like?
What did your parents think of your friends?
Who was the most influential person in your life during high school?
What sports or activities were you involved in?
What song or album defined that era for you?
What movies do you remember seeing in theaters?
What did you do on the weekends for fun?
Were you a good student? Did you enjoy learning?
Did you ever get in trouble at school?
Who was your date to the Senior Prom?
Did you participate in Senior Skip Day?
Do you remember your last day in high school?
Did you work a job? How did you spend your money from it?
What did you think your life would look like at this point back then?
Did you learn any skill during that time that you still have to this day?
If you could relive one day in high school, what would it be?
College
Where did you go to college and why?
Describe your freshman year dorm room / living arrangement.
What did you study? Did you change majors?
Did you have a mentor or professor who shaped how you think?
Did you ever consider dropping out or changing schools?
Who were your best friends and what were they like?
What clubs or activities were you involved in?
What was your social life like? More of a homebody or always out?
What movies do you remember seeing in theaters?
What was the biggest lesson you learned outside of the classroom?
Did you study abroad or travel during college?
What did you think you'd do with your degree when you graduated?
Did you date anyone? What were they like?
Describe meeting your partner for the first time.
If you could relive one day in college, what would it be?
Career
Describe your first job as an adult.
What was the hardest professional lesson you ever learned?
Did you ever take a risk at work that paid off or didn't?
How did your career change who you are as a person?
What advice would you give your younger self just starting out?
What was the first thing you bought after getting your first paycheck?
What was your go-to lunch?
Who were some of your favorite co-workers?
Who was your favorite boss? How did they impact you?
What was your favorite job you ever worked?
What did you love about your job?
What did your work mean to you beyond just a paycheck?
Did your career turn out the way you expected when you were young?
Was there another career you wish you had pursued?
Did you manage work life balance well or not?
When did you retire? Have you enjoyed retirement?
If you could relive one day at work, what would it be?
Marriage
What made you fall in love with your partner?
Describe your wedding ceremony and reception.
Who were your best men & maid of honors?
Describe your first home as a married couple.
What was fun about your early years of marriage?
What was hard about your early years of marriage?
What did a typical day together look like?
Did you make each other laugh? Any stories come to mind?
What was the hardest season of marriage? How did you get through it?
What do you admire about your partner?
What do you think makes a marriage last?
What has your partner taught you about yourself?
How did your families feel about each other?
If you could relive one day with your partner, what would it be?
If you had 5 minutes with your partner, what would you talk about?
Children
Describe your children: name, appearance, personality.
What surprised you most about becoming a parent?
What's your proudest moment as a parent?
Is there something you wish you'd done differently raising your children?
How did having children change you as a person?
What values were most important for you to pass on to your children?
How are each of your children different from one another?
What has your relationship with each child looked like as they've become adults?
What do you want your children to know that you may have never said out loud?
If you could relive one day with your children, what would it be?
Grandchildren
What do your grandchildren call you, and how did that name come about?
What do you love about each of your grandchildren?
What activity do you love doing most with your grandchildren?
What do you want them to know about where they came from?
What's something you get to give your grandchildren that you couldn't give your own kids?
What's your favorite memory with your grandchildren so far?
How is being a grandparent different from being a parent?
Who do you hope your grandchildren grow up to be — not in career, but in character?
Is there a piece of wisdom you want to make sure each grandchild carries with them?
What do you hope your grandchildren say about you someday?
Belief System
Did you grow up in a religious household? What did that look like?
How would you describe your personal beliefs today?
Have your beliefs changed over the course of your life? How so?
Was there a moment that deeply shaped your belief system?
What specific rituals, practices, or traditions were meaningful to you?
Were you involved in a religious community? What were they like?
Did you ever question your beliefs? What did that journey look like?
Is there a scripture, verse, book, or teaching that has stayed with you?
How have your beliefs helped you through difficult times?
What do you believe happens after you die?
What would you want your family to know about your beliefs?
Cultural Moments
What do you remember about the Great Depression (1929–1941)?
What do you remember about the Dust Bowl (1930–1936)?
What do you remember about FDR's New Deal (1933)?
What do you remember about the first Superman comic (1938)?
What do you remember about Gone with the Wind in theaters (1939)?
What do you remember about The Wizard of Oz in theaters (1939)?
What do you remember about Pearl Harbor (1941)?
What do you remember about the End of World War II (1945)?
What do you remember about Elvis Presley on The Milton Berle Show (1956)?
What do you remember about School Desegregation (1957)?
What do you remember about the JFK Assassination (1963)?
What do you remember about The Beatles arriving in America (1964)?
What do you remember about Bob Dylan going electric at Newport Folk Festival (1965)?
What do you remember about the first successful heart transplant (1967)?
What do you remember about the Vietnam Riots (1967)?
What do you remember about Johnny Cash Live at Folsom Prison (1968)?
What do you remember about the MLK Assassination (1968)?
What do you remember about the first ATM machine (1969)?
What do you remember about the Moon Landing (1969)?
What do you remember about Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven (1971)?
What do you remember about Watergate (1972)?
What do you remember about the first video game console — Atari Pong (1972)?
What do you remember about Space Invaders releasing in arcades (1978)?
What do you remember about MTV launching (1981)?
What do you remember about Michael Jackson's Thriller releasing (1982)?
What do you remember about the Apple Macintosh being introduced (1984)?
What do you remember about Microsoft Windows releasing (1985)?
What do you remember about the Tearing Down of the Berlin Wall (1989)?
What do you remember about the Invention of the World Wide Web (1989)?
What do you remember about AOL and the dial-up internet era (1993)?
What do you remember about the first DVD player (1996)?
What do you remember about 9/11 (2001)?
What do you remember about the Market Crash (2008)?