Questionnaire #1 1a. What is your full name? 1b. Why did your parents select this name for you? 1c. Did you have a nickname? 1d. Do you like your name? 1e. If you could have picked your name, which name would you have chosen? Questionnaire #2 2a. Describe a typical family dinner. Did you all eat together as a family? Who did the cooking? What were your favorite foods? 2b. How were holidays (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) celebrated in your family? 2c. Did your family have special traditions? 2d. What world events had the most impact on you while you were growing up? 2e. Did any of them personally affect your family? Questionnaire #3 3a. What school activities and sports did you participate in? 3b. Did you have any pets? If so, what kind and what were their names? 3c. Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper? 3d. Who was the oldest relative you remember as a child? What do you remember about them? 3e. What do you know about your family surname? Questionnaire #4 4a. Did your family celebrate Halloween? If so, what is your favorite costume that you wore? 4b. What is your favorite costume that someone else wore (don't forget to tell us who wore it)? 4c. Can you remember a time when you were really scared by someone pulling a prank on you? Tell us about it. 4d. What's your favorite Halloween candy? 4e. What is the oddest thing you've received on Halloween? 4f. What is your best memory of Halloweens past? Questionnaire #5 5a. Was English the first language for everyone in you family? 5b. Did anyone in the family speak with accents? 5c. How many languages were known/spoken? 5d. Did anyone in the family play musical instruments? Which instruments? 5e. What is one song you remember being played the most? Questionnaire #6 6a. What was your most memorable school field trip? 6b. What was your most memorable family vacation? 6c. How many states have you been in? Which states? 6d. How many countries? Which countries? 6e. What kind of souvenirs, if any, did you collect on your trips? Questionnaire #7 7a. Were you ever in a war or serve in the military? 7b. What do you remember most? 7c. Where did you enlist? 7d. Why did you enlist? 7e. Where did you serve? 7f. What were your responsibilities? 7g. What was your rank? 7h. Were you awarded any medals? Questionnaire #8 8a. Have you ever broken any bones? Tell us about it. 8b. Have you ever been in any accidents? If you can, tell us your story. 8c. Have you ever had to stay in the hospital for longer than a day? If so, why? Questionnaire #9 9a. Have you ever won any contests? Explain. 9b. Who was your favorite teacher and why? 9c. What was school like for you as a child? 9d. What were your best and worst subjects? 9e. Where did you attend grade school? High school? College? Questionnaire #10 10a. Who are your parents? Grandparents? Great-Grandparents? Siblings? Spouse? 10b. How many children do you have? (list them) 10c. How many grandchildren do you have? (list them) Questionnaire #11 11a. What/where was your first job? 11b. When did you work there? 11c. How much were you paid? 11d. Do you have any funny stories to share about your early employment years? 11e. Did you make major decisions in your job? Did those decisions result in a good outcome? Questionnaire #12 12a. When you were a child, did you have family chores? What were they? 12b. Which was your least favorite? 12c. Did you receive an allowance? How much? 12 d. Did you save your money or spend it? Questionnaire #13 13a. What is your favorite Valentine's Day Memory? 13b. What is your least favorite Valentine's Day Memory? Questionnaire #14 14a. What kind of games did you play growing up? 14b. What was your favorite toy and why? 14c. What was your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, beach, etc.)? 14d. What did your family enjoy doing together? Questionnaire #15 15a. Who were your friends when you were growing up? 15b. Do you remember any fads from your youth? Popular hairstyles? Clothes? 15c. Who were your childhood heroes? 15d. What were your favorite songs and music? 15e. How is the world today different from what it was like when you were a child? Questionnaire #16 16a. How did you find out your were going to be a parent for the first time? 16b. Why did you choose your children's names? 16c. What was your proudest moment as a parent? 16d. Is there a naming tradition in your family, such as always giving the firstborn son the name of his paternal grandfather? 16e. Are there any physical characteristics that run in your family? Questionnaire #17 17a. When and how did you meet your spouse? 17b. What did you do on dates? 17c. What was it like when you proposed (or were proposed to)? 17d. Where and when did it happen? How did you feel? 17e. Where and when did you get married? 17f. What memory stands out the most from your wedding day? 17g. How would you describe your spouse? 17h. What do (did) you admire most about them? 17i. What do you believe is the key to a successful marriage? Questionnaire #18 18a. What stories have come down to you about your parents? Grandparents? More distant ancestors? 18b. Are there any stories about famous or infamous relatives in your family? 18c. How did your parents, grandparents, and other relatives meet and marry? 18d. Are there family stories of lost love, jilted brides, unusual courtships, arranged marriages, or elopements? Questionnaire #19 19a. Who is the oldest family person you personally knew? Tell me about this person. 19b. Who is the family historian/genealogist in your family? 19c. Are there any special heirlooms, photos, bibles or other memorabilia that have been passed down in your family? What are they? Who has possession of them? Are there copies, either on disc or on paper? Are there stories connected with them? (Take photos if you can.) Questionnaire #20 List the occupations (any details you can remember) of your grandparents, parents and their siblings. Questionnaire #21 21a. What is a special compliment you always received? 21b. Talk about a time when you got into trouble at school. 21c. What were your first words and who told you what they were? 21d. Was there anything unusual about your birth? 21e. Did you ever get lost? I forgot to do the interview questions this week! Oops! I guess I got excited w/ the pictures. Do you blame me? ;) Okay, so rather than do a real interview... Please, answer the following: Because I often talk about you all, I'd like to know two things... 1) What name do you like to go by? 2) Is the pronunciation of your name traditional? If not, tell us how to pronounce it. Do the same for your children and spouse. Questionnaire #22 22a. What was the first thing you ever sewed? 22b. What was the first thing you built with wood? 22c. What is your first memory of working with leather, ceramics or other crafts? 22d. Who taught you to cook? What is your earliest memory of cooking? Questionnaire #23 23a. Have you ever been a victim or a witness of violence or other criminal activity? How so? 23b. Have you ever been a victim of natural disasters? How so? 23c. Have you ever been a victim or witness of other accidents/disasters? Questionnaire #24 No disrespect is meant by the following questions. If you are not religious or do not believe in God, please feel free to adjust the questions to fit your beliefs and send both your revised questions and your answers to me. -Thanks in advance. Love you all! 24a. What is your favorite Bible verse? 24b. Who were your godparents? 24c. At what point, if any, did you realize you truly believed and that it was no longer just what you were taught? Questionnaire #25 25a. We've learned about your pets, now tell us your memories of OTHER people's pets that were significant in your life. 25b. Tell us some memories of OTHER people's children that are significant in your life. 25c. Tell us some of the scariest moments you've had with your children. 25d. Tell us some of the scariest moments in your life from BEFORE you had children. 25e. Tell us some of the scariest moments you know OTHER people have had. Questionnaire #26 26a. When and where were you born? 26b. How did your family come to live there? 26c. Where did they live prior to that? 26d. Were there other family members in the area? Who? 26e. What was the house (apartment, farm, etc.) like? How many rooms? Bathrooms? Did it have electricity? Indoor plumbing? Telephones? Were there any special items in the house that you remember? Questionnaire #27 27a. What was the happiest time for your family? 27b. What was the saddest time for your family? 27c. Who was the first in the family to attend college? Where? What was the degree? 27d. Who in the family knows how to sew, knit, crochet, or do needlework? How did they learn? Do you own any of the pieces? Tell me the details. (Take photo). Questionnaire #28 28. Name 5 places you want to go and why. Questionnaire #29 29a. When you say, "Just a minute," how long does that average out to? 29b. How many times do you have to say your husband's/wife's name to get their attention? Children? (List each child) 29c. Ask your spouse and children how long it takes them to get your attention. The next two questions begin a series of "Have you ever" questions that I'll be adding occasionally. 29d. Have you ever contacted a stranger to say "We might be related"? Yes or no will suffice, but if you have time and if it's not too many to list, tell us who and what the outcome was. 29e. On the flip-side, have you ever been contacted by a stranger who said you might be related? Yes or no will suffice, but if you have time and if it's not too many to list, tell us who and what the outcome was. Questionnaire #30 30a. Have you ever been fishing? 30b. Have you ever been hunting? 30c. Have you ever been on a horse? 30d. Have you ever been camping? 30e. Have you ever been skiing? Questionnaire #31 31a. Have you ever been in a position of leadership, whether in school, government, church or other organizations? Explain. 31b. Do you ever feel like you were born in the wrong century? Explain if possible. 31c. Do you like soggy or crunchy cereal? 31d. Do you have your library card number memorized? 31e. Have you ever been skydiving? If the answer is no, have you ever wanted to go skydiving? Questionnaire #32 32a. Is there a common burial place for your family? If so, where? 32b. Have you ever been in a hot air balloon? If not, would you ever want to go up in one? 32c. Do you know CPR? When was your first certification and WHY did you learn? 32d. What are the names of the churches, if any, that you OR your parents were a member of? 32e. Are you the type of person to yell at the T.V. or Radio and continue listening so you can continue to yell or do you just change the channel? What kinds of things do you yell at? (Political, commercial, reality, etc.) Questionnaire #33 33a. Tell us about your scars. How did you get them and where are they? 33b. What is your favorite day of the week? Why? 33c. Have you ever fired or used a weapon for any other purpose than hunting or target practice? For example, we'd like to know if you had to discharge your weapon while in service, on duty, or during an emergency. Please don't incriminate yourselves if you used your weapon illegally. I'm not sure we want to know. Well... Maybe your descendants will, but I don't keep those kinds of secrets. Answer at your own risk. ;) 33d. Have you ever been on an adventure tour OR a survival trip? If you've taken survival training, tell us about it here. 33e. Do you know sign language? Why? Questionnaire #34 34a. You're getting married. Shortly after the preacher says, "Speak now or forever hold your *piece," the lights go out and thunder claps. When the lights come back on, everyone has an uncomfortable laugh at your expense. What do you do? *That is not a typo. I used "piece" on purpose. I have debated the use of peace vs. piece and have not come to a suitable consensus regarding which word was originally intended in this ceremony. Feel free to speak your piece - if you have the answer. 34b. Have you ever climbed over a stile? Where? 34c. What is your family's cure-all menu for getting rid of a mild sore throat? Do you know who started the tradition? 34d. Have you visited sites where your ancestors lived? Where? When? Don't forget to tell us who lived there. 34e. Have you ever been in the ocean? Where? Questionnaire #35 35a. Do you own a business? Please describe. 35b. Do you own/operate a website? If you want, please provide a link to your website. 35c. Do you blog? If so, please provide a link to your blog. 35d. Are you on any social networking websites? Please provide links to your profile. 35e. Have you scanned your family photos/videos to disk(s)? If so, who in your family is keeper of the disk(s)? Questionnaire #36 36a. If you had to vacation somewhere you haven't been yet, where would you go and what would you do? 36b. Is there anyone from your past that you miss and would like to reconnect with? 36c. Which book have you attempted to read, but couldn't finish? 36d. What would you want your last words to be? 36e. What do you believe will last forever? Questionnaire #37 - I'm not asking you to share secrets with these questions. 37a. How many significant secrets do you have about yourself? 37b. How many significant secrets have you kept for other people? 37c. Have you ever made a promise that you just couldn't keep for moral reasons? 37d. Have you ever made a promise to keep a secret even though it never really seemed secret-worthy? 37e. Which libraries have you held library cards for (don't include student ids)? Questionnaire #38 38a. Which book is the first you remember reading or that was read to you? 38b. Which book(s) are the most memorable to you? They don't have to be books you liked. 38c. What was the first movie you can remember watching in a theater? 38d. What was the first play or musical you can remember that you attended in person (not on video)? 38e. Do you remember the first audio tape, CD, record, video tape you purchased on your own dime? Which ones? Questionnaire #39 39a. Are you ticklish? 39b. Do you like your handwriting? 39c. Have you ever changed a tire? 39d. What is the furthest north you have traveled? 39e. Was there ever a time you were happy that you lied? Questionnaire #40 40a. What shoe size do you wear? 40b. Do you prefer to wear pants or dresses? 40c. What is the worst flavor of ice cream? 40d. What are your favorite condiments? 40e. Do you sing in the shower? Questionnaire #41 41a. What is the last "home-made" project you participated in? 41b. Which memberships do you pay monthly? Yearly? Why? 41c. If you had to choose, would you rather be tall or short? Why? 41d. If you had to choose, would you rather have spinach or bananas? 41e. Have you ever had your hair cut due to glue, gum or other unusual reason? Questionnaire #42 42a. Have you ever had a seemingly miraculous recovery? 42b. If you are fluent in another language, how did you learn? 42c. Do you like to have your hair played with? 42d. How big is your "personal space" when talking with strangers? Friends? Family? 42e. What are the most memorable "I TOLD YOU SO!" moments in your life? Provide instances where you were right and when you were wrong. Questionnaire #43 The answers to these questions are subject to change and may be asked more than once over time. It will be fun to see how your answers change and what caused them to change. There are 8 instead of 5, but this is not the norm. 43a. What color is your house? What color schemes are in each room? 43b. What color is the exterior of your car? Interior? 43c. What is your favorite nursery rhyme? 43d. What is the longest you've been away from home? When? Where? 43e. What book are you currently reading? 43f. How do you watch your T.V. shows - live, VHS, DVD, TiVo, Online? 43g. Which season is your favorite and why? 43h. Do you watch scary movies? Questionnaire #44 - Some are recurring questions. Enjoy! 44a. Do you have any unexplained memories? What are they? 44b. What life-stories do you remember from your childhood that you later learned were not true (someone made them up to entertain you)? 44c. Who is in your house right now? 44d. What music are you listening to? 44e. How many children do you have now?