Family stories
25 Questions to Ask Your Grandparents About Family History
Capture names, places, traditions and memories with 25 thoughtful questions for your grandparents.
Ready to begin? Create your free family tree →
Begin with a relaxed conversation
A grandparent may remember the face in an old photograph or the village a relative left. Choose a quiet time and ask whether they would like to talk. Pick a few questions instead of trying to finish the whole list. Let them skip anything they would rather keep private. Ask permission before recording, and explain who will hear it.
Names and family connections
- 1. What were your parents’ full names?
- 2. Did anyone use a nickname or another surname?
- 3. What do you remember about your grandparents?
- 4. Who were your brothers and sisters, in birth order?
- 5. Which relatives can you identify in this photograph?
Childhood and everyday life
- 6. Where were you born and where did you grow up?
- 7. What was your childhood home like?
- 8. What did an ordinary school day look like?
- 9. Which games did you play with your friends?
- 10. What food reminds you most of home?
Places, work and turning points
- 11. Did your family move, and what led to the move?
- 12. What was your first job?
- 13. Who taught you a skill you still use?
- 14. How did you meet your partner, if you would like to share?
- 15. Which change in your lifetime surprised you most?
Traditions and the people behind them
- 16. Which celebrations brought everyone together?
- 17. Is there a family recipe with a story behind it?
- 18. Were there sayings you heard growing up?
- 19. Who did the family turn to for advice?
- 20. What tradition would you like us to continue?
Memories for the next generation
- 21. What memory still makes you laugh?
- 22. What are you proud of that younger relatives might not know?
- 23. Which photograph would you most like to explain?
- 24. What would you like your grandchildren to know about your parents?
- 25. What do you wish you had asked your own grandparents?
Turn what you learn into useful family history
Review your notes while the conversation is fresh. Write down who supplied each detail and when you spoke. Ask for unfamiliar spellings. A place name may have changed, so keep the name your grandparent remembers and check it later. Treat a remembered date as an estimate until you can confirm it. When accounts differ, keep both in your notes and ask a follow-up question.
Give the names a place to belong
Create a free Family Tree Builder account and add your grandparents and their children. Seeing those connections together helps you spot the next name to ask about. Keep your interview notes and original recordings backed up alongside the project, and respect requests to keep particular memories private. When you are ready to grow your tree further, explore the paid plan. Start with one conversation and one branch today.
Keep exploring: How to Start a Family Tree: A Simple Guide for Beginners