{"id":50075,"date":"2019-05-10T11:00:04","date_gmt":"2019-05-10T15:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=50075"},"modified":"2023-09-14T10:23:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T14:23:27","slug":"genealogy-tip-what-to-ask-mom-on-mothers-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/genealogy-tip-what-to-ask-mom-on-mothers-day.html","title":{"rendered":"Genealogy Tip: What to Ask Mom on Mother\u2019s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article, to help celebrate Mother\u2019s Day, Gena Philibert-Ortega provides a list of family history questions to ask Mom on her special day. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Mother\u2019s Day 2019 is this Sunday. How will you be spending the day? Those of us who have moms or grandmas or are moms ourselves might share a meal with family and take some time to visit. And while mom rightly deserves a day of rest and admiration, it\u2019s also an excellent excuse to talk family history.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: a postcard issued by the Northern Pacific Railway for Mother’s Day, 1915. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On this Mother\u2019s Day, what questions could you ask your female progenitors about their lives? If you are a mom, what could you share? I asked my Facebook friends this question and received some great ideas about what information you should be asking or providing this Mother\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

Feelings Not Just Facts<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the suggestions I especially liked to my question about what to ask mom was made by professional genealogist Catherine Becker Wiest Desmarais, CG. She wrote, \u201cI\u2019d suggest asking about feelings. One can always research names and dates and events, but except for rare occasions where an ancestor left a diary, we can\u2019t do any research to find out how they felt when their husband proposed, when their first child was born, when their mother died (how did they cope?), when various historical events happened, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n

Catherine makes an excellent point. Asking family members about the feelings they experienced around specific events helps us get to know them on a more personal level. It\u2019s a benefit of interviewing that you just can\u2019t get when you are only researching facts.<\/p>\n

What Did They Eat?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s probably no surprise that I especially liked the answers my friends gave about asking what foods mom ate as a child. Your questions could cover anything from foods prepared for holidays to the everyday. For those with family members who lived during World War II, you can ask what foods they ate and how rationing affected their families.<\/p>\n

I have some Facebook friends whose family members worked in some aspect of the food industry. Those friends talked about wanting to learn more about their work and their day-to-day tasks. How I wish my paternal great-grandmother were still alive to ask her about working as a chef in restaurant kitchens.<\/p>\n

Obviously, this is also a great time to ask mom and grandma for recipes that she makes that you especially love. Even if she doesn\u2019t know the exact measurement, write what she does know down now.<\/p>\n

Go through the Family Photo Album<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lorine McGinnis Schulze, professional genealogist and the woman behind the website Olive Tree Genealogy<\/a>, shared this wish for Mother\u2019s Day: \u201cI’m a mom and a grandmother (of 10). I would love if my kids and my grandkids asked to look at the family photos and wanted to know who everyone was. I am the last person who knows who they all are. I\u2019m scanning and publishing as fast as I can but I may not get them all finished before my expiry date!\u201d<\/p>\n

Moms and grandmas, I\u2019m speaking to you now. Mother\u2019s Day is a great day, while you have everyone\u2019s undivided attention, to break out the photo albums. Use the day to identify ancestors in photos, and tell stories about the event the photo was taken at or where it was taken. Let your family know what you know about those familiar to you but not known to the younger generation. If you don\u2019t say something, those deceased ancestors won\u2019t be remembered. One way to get your family interested in family history is to share photos. Take some time to do that. Let them know they can\u2019t have dessert until they hear the family stories!<\/p>\n

Need Some Questions for Mom?*<\/strong><\/p>\n

Still not sure what to ask mom and grandma on Mother\u2019s Day? Are you a mom and not sure what information you have to share with family? Here are a few questions my Facebook friends came up with:<\/p>\n