Your personal story is a living breathing example of nature vs. nurture and it is now time to broaden our outlook a bit to see where you came from. What kind of influence did your extended family exert in making you who you are?
Many people find it interesting and revealing to have a DNA test done to find further evidence of their roots. Ancestry.com is a website that specializes in researching more detail about the history of your family. You may find both of these sources interesting in determining your history.
What were your mother’s parents names?
What did you call them?
Where and when were they born?
What was their national heritage?
What did they do for a living?
Where did they live when your mother was growing up?
What do you know about your mother’s childhood and life at home?
How many siblings did your mother have?
What do you know about them? Names, birth dates, fun facts, careers, marriages, illnesses, etc.?
How well did you know your maternal grandparents?
Did you spend much time with them when you were a child – holidays, summers?
Were they involved in bringing you up?
What are your strongest memories of them?
What else can you add about your mother’s parents that is interesting?
What about other members of her family – like your great grandparents, great aunts and uncles, anyone else?
FATHER’S FAMILY
What were your father’s parents names?
What did you call them?
Where and when were they born?
What was their national heritage?
What did they do for a living?
Where did they live when your father was growing up?
What do you know about your father’s childhood and life at home?
How many siblings did your father have?
What do you know about them – names, birth dates, fun facts, careers, marriages, illnesses, etc.?
How well did you know your paternal grandparents?
Did you spend much time with them as a child – holidays, summers?
Were they involved in bringing you up?
What are your strongest memories of them?
What else can you add about your father’s parents that is interesting?
What about other members of his family like his grandparents, great aunts and uncles – anyone else?
We have a pretty good set of facts outlined about you and your family but let’s face it, there are some great stories that we haven’t touched on yet. In the next few installments, we are going to take a better look at our ancestors and ourselves as we get into the juicy stuff. If creating a journal of your life or a Legacy Bio is becoming an interesting part of the legacy you leave your family, then share the process with others.