Questionnaire for relatives. What to ask

You have decided to build your family tree. We collected all the information you have at home, photos and the remaining metrics and documents. Conducted material analysis. Now you can start interviewing relatives.

There are no polling rules. Each survey will be individual. It all depends on what kind of relatives you contact and in what form. It is always easier to communicate with close relatives and more difficult with distant ones, with whom you see a little and in whose life you take less part.

When visiting relatives, it’s always easier to personally explain the meaning of the visit and the conversation, and the information you receive is more accurate. But do not neglect phone calls and letters.

Specify for yourself what kind of relatives and lines you will be asking questions, are these direct branches or all the information that the relative you are interviewing knows. Show me old photos, maybe someone will tell you who is on them and who you have to.

Write everything down, even if these are legends and family stories, it is always interesting, and sometimes a logical chain stretches directly from them to straight lines. Many stories written by you can be liked by children and instill in them an interest in searching and revealing secrets and mysteries. I’ll say from personal experience that the legends of my family about the treasures and exploits of my ancestors developed an adventure in me and made me an adventurous person.

When making notes, indicate the date of the conversation, who told and who wrote.

Questionnaire for the collection of primary data necessary for starting a genealogical study

It is convenient to use a notebook to fill out the questionnaire: open from a clean page, put the question number and then answer it. After completing the answer, put the next number and answer it. If you don’t know the answers, put the question number and a dash on the contrary.

Surname, name, patronymic of the one who fills out the questionnaire (hereinafter – the Compiler). If the originator is a married woman, then the maiden name is indicated.
Date and place of birth of the Compiler. Information about the godparents.
If the originator is married, then the maiden name, first name, patronymic, date and place of birth of the wife. For the Compiler, a married woman, a husband. Date and place of registration of marriage. Witnesses of registration of marriage.
If the marriage is not one, then paragraph 3 for each marriage, and also, if possible, the date of dissolution of the previous marriage.
Name, date and place of birth of each child of the Compiler. Their godparents.
If one of the children of the Compiler is married (married), then – (maiden) surname, name, patronymic, date and place of birth of the husband (wife). Date and place of registration of marriage.
Names and birthdays of grandchildren.
Name, patronymic, date and place of birth of the father of the Compiler.
Brief information about the father of the Compiler: education, profession, names of places of study, work, military service, participation in hostilities, awards, honorary titles, etc.
Maiden name, first name, patronymic, date and place of birth of the mother of the Compiler.
Brief information about the mother of the Compiler: education, profession, designation of places of study, work, etc.
Date and place of registration of the marriage of the parent of the drafter. Witnesses of registration of marriage.
Names, dates and places of birth of the brothers, sisters of the Compiler, if any. Information about their spouses. Information about the nephews. Brief additional information about everything that is known (see paragraph 9).
Surname, name, patronymic, date, place of birth of the paternal grandfather of the Compiler. Brief additional information (see paragraph 9).
Maiden name, first name, patronymic, date and place of birth of the paternal grandmother of the Compiler. Brief additional information.
The exact or approximate date of registration of the marriage of the paternal grandfather and grandmother.
The number of marriages of the paternal grandfather and grandmother.
The number of children with paternal grandparents (i.e. the number of brothers and sisters with the father of the Compiler). List them by name (preferably arranged by seniority). Indicate children from other marriages, if any.
The names, dates, and places of birth of the brothers and sisters of the father of the Compiler. Information about their marital status. Information about their spouses. Brief additional information about all that is known.
The exact or approximate paternal death of the Composer’s grandfather. If the date of death is unknown, then indicate at what age he died or at what period (before the revolution or after, before the war or after, during the reign of Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev). Burial place.
The exact or approximate paternal death of the Compiler’s grandmother. If the date of death is unknown, then indicate at what age she died or at what period (see paragraph 20). Burial place.
Surname, name, patronymic, date and place of birth of the maternal grandfather of the Compiler (mother’s father). Brief additional information (see paragraph 9).
Maiden name, first name, patronymic, date and place of birth of the Compiler’s maternal grandmother. Brief additional information.
The exact or approximate date of registration of the marriage of the maternal grandfather and grandmother.
The number of maternal grandfathers and grandparents.
The exact or approximate date of death of the Composer’s maternal grandfather. If the date of death is unknown, then indicate at what age he died. Burial place.
The exact or approximate date of death of the Compiler’s maternal grandmother. If the date of death is unknown, indicate at what age she died. Burial place.
The number of children with maternal grandparents. List them by name (preferably arranged by seniority). Indicate children from other marriages.
Names, dates, and places of birth of the brothers and sisters of the mother of the Compiler. Information about their marital status. Information about their spouses. Brief additional information that is known (see paragraph 9).
Details of the cousins of the Compiler. Information about their marital status and children. Brief additional information (see paragraph 9).
If possible, paternal great-grandfather and great-grandmother information.
If possible, information about the maternal great-grandfather and great-grandmother.
Names, dates, and places of birth of the paternal grandfather’s brothers and sisters. Information about their marital status. Information about their spouses. Brief additional information that is known (see paragraph 9). If the dates of birth are unknown, then approximately arrange by seniority, indicating who was the eldest.
Names, dates, and places of birth of the siblings of the grandmother on the paternal side of the Compiler. Information about their marital status. Information about their spouses. Brief additional information that is known (see paragraph 9). If the dates of birth are unknown, then approximately arrange by seniority, indicating who was the eldest.
Names, dates, and places of birth of the siblings of the maternal grandfather of the Compiler. Information about their marital status. Information about their spouses. Brief additional information that is known (see paragraph 9). If the dates of birth are unknown, then approximately arrange by seniority, indicating who was the eldest.
Names, dates, and places of birth of the siblings of the grandmother on the maternal side of the Compiler. Information about their marital status. Information about their spouses. Brief additional information that is known (see paragraph 9). If the dates of birth are unknown, then approximately arrange by seniority, indicating who was the eldest.
Information about the cousins of the father of the Compiler (i.e., about the children of the paternal grandparents). Information about their marital status and children. Brief additional information that is known (see paragraph 9).
Information about the cousins of the mother of the Compiler (i.e., the children of the maternal grandparents of the siblings). Information about their marital status and children. Brief additional information that is known (see paragraph 9).
Details of the second cousins of the Compiler. Information about their marital status and children. Brief additional information that is known (see paragraph 9).
Information about other relatives of the Compiler.
Additional information: if one of the relatives was repressed in the 30-50s, during the Great Patriotic War he was exported to Germany, partisan, fought, was a party, etc.
Famous representatives of the clan (Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of Socialist Labor, gentlemen of orders, famous figures of politics, culture, sports, etc.).
Family legends (retelling) about the origin of the surname, occupation of the ancestors, their property (land, mill, shop, etc.) and so on.
Interesting documents from the compiler’s family archive.
Prepare photographs of the Compiler, his family members, parents, grandparents, great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers for possible use in the decoration of the results of a genealogical study. Prepare photo captions with faces, dates, and locations.