Personal Histories: Home

GREAT QUESTIONS FOR ANYONE

• Who has been the most important person in your life?
• Can you tell me about him or her?
• What was the happiest moment of your life? The saddest?
• Who has been the biggest influence on your life?
• What lessons did that person teach you?
• Who has been the kindest to you in your life?
• What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life?
• What is your earliest memory?
• What is your favorite memory of me?
• Are there any funny stories your family tells about you that come to mind?
• Are there any funny stories or memories or characters from your life that you want to tell me about?
• What are you proudest of?
• When in life have you felt most alone?
• If you could hold on to one memory from your life forever, what would that be?
• How has your life been different than what you’d imagined?
• How would you like to be remembered?
• Do you have any regrets?
• What does your future hold?
• What are your hopes for what the future holds for me? For my children?
• If this was to be our very last conversation, is there anything you’d want to say to me
• For your great great grandchildren listening to this years from now: is there any wisdom you’d want to pass on to them? What would you want them to know?
• Is there anything that you’ve never told me but want to tell me now?
• Is there something about me that you’ve always wanted to know but have never asked?

Great Questions.StoryCorps, StoryCorps, storycorps.org/participate/great-questions/.

1. Decide.

What's your purpose? What do you want to find? Decide what you want to learn.

2. Pick.

Pick a starting place or person.

3. Gather.

Gather information on your person(s) of interest using all the tools you have. This may mean: family bibles, journals, correspondence, newspapers, obituaries. And, most importantly, ask relatives.