General Chat

hi everyone
im looking for some inspiration, i want to hear my parents life stories and thought about recording them, but doing them individually rather than together, at least until i get up to when they married. what im after from you all is, if you had the chance to do the same thing, what list of questions would you want to ask them
kind regards
darrell

Houses, siblings, schools, toys, travel - holidays or general getting around. Food shopping or deliveries.

Depending on their age - heating, lighting, growing food, keeping a pig/chickens etc.

Memories of particular events - Coronation, Sunday School treats etc.

I am obviously coming to this from a particular time - you are probably much younger than me, so lots of it won't apply.

Good luck.
Elisabeth

hi elisabeth
yes i should of mentioned how old my parents are, it does change the type of questions, i didnt think of that :)

my mum was born in 1936 and my dad was born in 1937
kind regards
darrell

Darrell,

Most of the items I mentioned could apply to them - depending on what sort of environment they were living in.

I am sure anyone living in an urban environment would have a different view of life than a 'country bumpkin' like me!!

Elisabeth

You could ask them what they remember about the war. Did they suffer from rationing of food, clothes etc.
How did they celebrate birthdays/Christmas.

Ask how many of their relatives they knew well and met up with and what jobs they did, or whether they were in the services, if you have not already got that information.

Ask to look at any 'old' photos and see if they can put names and approximate dates to them if they are not already labelled. I have so many very old black/white and sepia photos, can guess a period of time but guessing who they are is more difficult!

Good luck, it is essential to do this before they forget!

Ask your parents what they know about your grand parents, where and how did they meet ,before asking them the same question.-JLe

Ask about the houses they lived in, and those of their close relations. Did they have to share a bed, what about bathing? Did they go away on Holidays, if so where?
Grocery shopping etc. toys.

Good luck Darrell
I wish I had asked my parents all sorts of things .Sadly they are no longer here and there are no other elderly family members to ask.

Most important, what do they remember about their family history! Then their own recollections of earlier days, whether they remember family outings and how they got on with their parents.

I have asked my sister to write down all that she remembers about our grandparents and parents. Also what she can tell me about her childhood during the war and afterwards. She was born in 1937 and I came along a lot later. She didn't see a banana until she was five. Any little thing they can remember is of use.

Good Lick with your history

I had a rough idea of where and when my parents met (Dad coming from Buckinghamshire and Mum from Norfolk) but after Dad died I did ask Mum one day, how did you and Dad meet? She told me that he was on demob in October 1945 in the village where she worked as a Landgirl and he whistled at her when she was riding her bike home. Shameless hussy stopped and spoke to him and the rest is history! They married on 29th Dec, 1945 and went off to live in Buckinghamshire with my paternal gran but things didn't go well between Mum and Gran so they returned to Norfolk the following year where I and my brothers were born and where they lived for the rest of their lives.

Six weeks after I heard this story, my Mum died at the age of 79 so I was really glad I had asked in time.

Now I wish I had asked my Dad more about his family - I was lucky to have contact with an elderly cousin of his who filled me in on lots of info about the family but sadly she died earlier this year so no one else around to answer questions, and only one cousin left on Mum's side too.

Best way for you I think, Darrell, is to ask a few questions but to just get them talking and record that, you can sift the main details out later but you will possibly hear some lovely stories to pass on to your own family and down the line in future.

Good luck

Lizx

hi everyone
i want to thank you all for your replies, there were many good questions put forward and i just cant wait to get started. i already know quite a bit about them both and there families but its the little things that you tend to forget and thats what i want to get from them, because you hear people say that they start to forget the sound of there voices, and people with no pictures say they start to forget what they look like once they have gone, i cherish the time i have with them and know it wont last forever, but when that day does come, i know that all i have to do is stick my ipod on, and there with me again.
kind regards
darrell

Oh but I would ask my dad......."What did your dad tell you about his life in Liverpool and what he got up to in Australia.......

Kathlyn

Did they go dancing, which dances and fashions. Like the layers of petticoats under flared skirts for the rock and roll etc:o)
My hubby remembers the dance hall in Brighton where the floor moved. What pets did they have.
l can remember the local farmer shooting the rooks, me and sisters would catch them, feed them etc and let them go again!!

Good luck

jude