The Grandparent/Elder Project

Interview Questions

Required Questions

1. What is your name and maiden name?
2. What is your date of birth?
3. What is your place of birth?
4. What is your ethnicity?
5. Where were your parents, brothers, and sisters born? Include their names.
6. Where were your children born? Include their names.
7. Where have you lived?
8. What language(s) do you speak?
9. What is your citizenship(s)? Have you served in the military? (Get the details connected with this question.)
10. What is your religious affiliation? What are your spiritual beliefs?

(You may expand on any of the above topics.)

Category Questions

You must ask questions from each of the following three categories. You may expand on any of the questions in the category.

Birth to Adolescence

1. Where did you live as a child?
2. When you were growing up, what was the role of boys and girls in the family? Were there any "coming of age" ceremonies or significant events?
3. Describe your neighborhood when you were in junior high school (grades 6-9).
4. What music, clothing, and food were popular during your teenage years? (How much did candy, movies, clothing, etc., cost?)
5. Describe your school. (The building, classroom, teacher, subjects offered, schedule, homework, etc.)
6. What was the ethnic breakdown in your school? (Was there any diversity and/or multicultural education at your school?)
7. What was socially accepted in your community? (Consider religious beliefs, sexual preferences, racial differences, women's rights, etc., as well as things such as smoking and dancing.)
8. How did one do for amusement? (Consider forms of entertainment, hobbies, sports, collections, etc.)
9. What illnesses were threatening the health of the community? (What vaccinations did you have to have?)
10. What were the rules of your house? Did you rebel in anyway?

Jobs/Professions

1. What jobs did you have throughout your life?
2. What did your job(s) entail? Did you enjoy your work?
3. Did you attend college? If so, what did you study?

General Questions (Specify the time periods and the approximate age of your grandparent/elder.)

1. Did you have any dangerous and/or life threatening experiences? If so, what happened?
2. What presidents (or national leaders) do you recall?
3. What were some of the important news (current) events that you remember? How did you receive the news?
4. What wars did you experience directly or indirectly? What was your experience?
5. How did the Depression affect you?
6. Describe your kitchen and school rooms. What technological items were in these places? What were some of the new inventions?
7. Describe the cars that you owned. What were some other modes of transportation you have taken?
8. Are you a citizen of the United States? Naturalized citizen? If you were not born in the United States, where are you from? Are you the first generation in the United States? When and why did you come to the United States?
9. Tell a family story or a family event.
10. Describe and briefly talk about someone you admire(d).

Original Questions

In addition to the required questions, you must design two original, personal questions to ask your grandparent/elder.