Today is Family Day in several provinces in Canada. In Prince Edward Island, however, it’s Islander Day, Manitoba calls today Louis Riel Day, and Nova Scotia calls it Nova Scotia Heritage Day. Meanwhile, in Quebec, it’s a regular work day, and we call it, Monday or lundi.
No matter where you live, I hope that family is important to you.
Ancestry reveals that three quarters (74 per cent) of Canadians wish they knew more about their families.
As Canadians continue to live in an extended period of lockdown, keeping in touch with loved ones is often top of mind, particularly at a time when we cannot all be physically together.
Despite Canadians itching to learn more about their family history and half (50 per cent) stating that family stories are a great conversation starter, a quarter of those polled don’t know where their grandparents were born, and 15 per cent do not know their grandparents’ full names.
Discussing family history and stories from the past helps us feel more connected to our family and helps older relatives in times like this feel more connected to younger generations.
While the desire is there, Canadians struggle to get the conversation started with previous generations when it comes to family history.
12 questions to ask your family
To remedy this situation, Ancestry worked with genealogist and family history expert Lesley Anderson to develop 12 questions that can help people learn more about their family history.
- What are your earliest memories?
- What do you remember about your grandparents, aunts, and uncles?
- What were your parents like and what are your clearest memories of them?
- What memories stand out from your school days?
- Who were your best friends in childhood and what did you get up to together?
- Who was your first crush or first love, and what can you remember about them?
- What do you remember about your first job and what was it like doing what you did for a living?
- How did you meet your husband/wife/partner and what can you remember about your wedding?
- Where was your first home, and what was it like getting your own home for the first time?
- What was it like having your first child?
- What memories do you have of raising your children and what did they get up to when they were young?
- If you were to write your life story for future generations, what other stories would you want them to hear?
The twelve questions are a great place to start and can help uncover more about your own family history but for those wanting to learn more, visit www.ancestry.ca.
Ice-breaker
On a side note, to break the ice, one of my favourite questions to ask a colleague at a business dinner was, “How did you and your husband/wife/partner/boyfriend/girlfriend meet?”
Without exception, the colleague began their answer with, “Well, it’s an interesting story.” Then they continued to share what was always a good story.
