Introduction: In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega provides ten questions to help your family talk about family history during your Thanksgiving gathering. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.”
What are your plans this Thanksgiving? Will you be spending it with friends or family? Even if you don’t have plans for a large family gathering, it’s still an excellent time to get everyone talking about family history.
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Thanksgiving can be a hectic time. With the cooking, baking, and other activities, it may be difficult to get everyone in the same room to participate in one conversation. How can you get everyone talking (and listening) about their family history?
You can start by asking questions around the dinner table, or make it more of a game by placing strips of paper with questions in a bowl and having each person answer the question they draw. You could add questions to large pieces of paper laid out on tables. Have markers and pens available for family members to add their answers. Consider hanging a family tree to help everyone view where they are in the family and who came before them. Not everyone may remember great-grandma Gertrude, so a family tree chart can help.
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Do you need some questions to get the conversation going? Consider asking the following questions:
- What’s your favorite family story?
- What’s your earliest family memory?
- Who was your favorite family member when you were a kid? Why?
- What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory from your youth?
- What is your favorite family recipe? Who made that recipe? Why is it a favorite?
- What is your least favorite family recipe? Who made it, and when was it served?
- How many of your grandparents did you know? How many great-grandparents?
- If you could invite one ancestor from the past to dine with us today, who would it be and why?
- What do you wish everyone knew about you?
- What do you wish you knew about your family history?
Thanksgiving is about food, but it’s also about who you are dining with. It’s a good time to talk about family history. Don’t limit that conversation to just the elders or adults in the family. Get the kids involved and share your stories with them. Ask them for their memories and then record them to share with them when they are older.
Consider bringing out photos or family heirlooms. Use these items to get the conversation going. Don’t forget to audio or video record what people say (get permission first). These conversations may help you learn more about the ancestors you are researching or fill in an individual family member’s story.
Don’t forget that you and your memories and experiences are part of your family history. Take time to interview yourself.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Note on the header image: Happy Thanksgiving display.
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