I've wanted to record the stories of my grandparents for some time now and not really known how to go about it. Stumbled across these questions that I am starting to ask my grandmother to answer through the letters we write to each other.
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I thought I might also attempt to answer them whilst I can still hopefully remember them fresh.
- What is your full name? Why did your parents select this name for you? Did you have a nickname?
Sarah Michele Dicks. I think Michele was the name of the midwife and my mum just liked the name Sarah. I used to call myself Sady (Sad-y) because I couldn't pronounce Sarah. (I must have been really young) and at a time wouldn't respond unless they called me Sady. My Dad has also always called me Pocohontas, I presume because of my darker skin, eyes and hair. And also Scooby Doo. Not 100% sure why that is!
- When and where were you born?
27th October 1988. Southmead Hosptial. At around 2am.
- How did your family come to live there?
We didn't live in Southmead, that's the nearest hospital. We lived in Yate. We came to live there I think because my mum grew up in the area, and my dad worked there.
- Were there other family members in the area? Who?
I think my Nanny and Pappy lived in Ipswich when I was born, up until I was quite a bit older, tho I'm not sure. Grandma and Grandpops lived in Bristol so weren't far away.
- What was the house (apartment, farm, etc.) like? How many rooms? Bathrooms? Did it have electricity? Indoor plumbing? Telephones?
It was a 3-bed E type house, end of terrace. One bathroom and being a child of the 80s I had all the modcons of electricity, plumbing and telephones.
- Were there any special items in the house that you remember?
I remember the curved doorway with a pole in it, leading from the dining room to the kitchen. We had building block type calender next to the television. And a sliding door bathroom cabinet that was mirrored.
- What is your earliest childhood memory?
I remember looking at the bottom of a snail through a pane of glass in Reception, I must have been 5 years old. I also remember writing numbers on a sheet of large grid paper and being so proud to have got so high and telling my mum that I was going to give it to Grandma and her replying that she probably wouldn't want it. She did though!
- Describe the personalities of your family members.
I think I would describe my sister as impatient and trouble. My mother, kind, straight talking and practical. My dad...late. I don't remember a whole lot more about him when I was really young. We used to go swimming and I had to change in the mens rooms which I didn't like.
- What kind of games did you play growing up?
we used to go out on our bikes around the streets a lot. We played the game where u threw a ball and if it hit you, you became "it". I got a scar on my hand from where someone threw the ball at my feet and superman dived acoss the gravel driveways. We played 1,2,3 home, and "home" was always the lamp post at the bottom of our garden.
- What was your favorite toy and why?
I want to say thumper, the rabbit my great nanny dean gave me but I think I just think that now because I still have him. I do remember making him hairstyles from his long ears. We had plastic baskets that we kept our toys in. I always wanted a super sticker maker for my birthday but dad never bought it for me. (An ex boyfriend got me a mini one many years later, sweetest thing)
- What was your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, beach, etc.)?
depends on what age I suppose. i used to like hanging out with the boys on long balmy summer nights playing football, or riding bikes down the street, having sleepovers with my best friend crystal doing dares having midnight feasts. then i loved going to gigs, watching my friends in bands play at schools, and big bands like murderdolls and stone sour where i could mosh like crazy. i used to like skateboarding, then i just liked hanging out at the skatepark with all the boys.
- Did you have family chores? What were they? Which was your least favorite?
I remember we had a house chores list once but we never stuck to it and would always get in trouble. dusting and polishing occasionally. washing and drying up mostly.
- Did you receive an allowance? How much? Did you save your money or spend it?
yes, i think it was £5 a week. although that sounds like a lot. I might have even gone up to £25 when I was older.
- What was school like for you as a child? What were your best and worst subjects? Where did you attend grade school? High school? College?
i think i've always loved school. always did very well, only ever criticism in school reports was that I talked too much. me and crystal used to hang out in the school toilets at lunchtimes and breaks, just doing nothing but chatting. im sure i must have liked art as a subject. i know i did at secondary school. but i dont think i like textiles until i had to choose and it was the best of the worst. at college i did art textiles maths and french. went to st brendans which was a pain to get to but was the only place that did textiles. i then went to uniat arts universisty college bournemouth to study ba (hons) costume design.
- What school activities and sports did you participate in?
i quit a lot of things. i did ballet for a ittle while, ebvne had an exa,m.....im falling asleep. hopefully finish this another time.
- Do you remember any fads from your youth? Popular hairstyles? Clothes?
- Who were your childhood heroes?
- What were your favorite songs and music?
- Did you have any pets? If so, what kind and what were their names?
- What was your religion growing up? What church, if any, did you attend?
- Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper?
- Who were your friends when you were growing up?
- What world events had the most impact on you while you were growing up? Did any of them personally affect your family?
- Describe a typical family dinner. Did you all eat together as a family? Who did the cooking? What were your favorite foods?
- How were holidays (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) celebrated in your family? Did your family have special traditions?
- How is the world today different from what it was like when you were a child?
- Who was the oldest relative you remember as a child? What do you remember about them?
- What do you know about your family surname?
- Is there a naming tradition in your family, such as always giving the firstborn son the name of his paternal grandfather?
- What stories have come down to you about your parents? Grandparents? More distant ancestors?
- Are there any stories about famous or infamous relatives in your family?
- Have any recipes been passed down to you from family members?
- Are there any physical characteristics that run in your family?
- Are there any special heirlooms, photos, bibles or other memorabilia that have been passed down in your family?
- What was the full name of your spouse? Siblings? Parents?
- When and how did you meet your spouse? What did you do on dates?
- What was it like when you proposed (or were proposed to)? Where and when did it happen? How did you feel?
- Where and when did you get married?
- What memory stands out the most from your wedding day?
- How would you describe your spouse? What do (did) you admire most about them?
- What do you believe is the key to a successful marriage?
- How did you find out your were going to be a parent for the first time?
- Why did you choose your children's names?
- What was your proudest moment as a parent?
- What did your family enjoy doing together?
- What was your profession and how did you choose it?
- If you could have had any other profession what would it have been? Why wasn't it your first choice?
- Of all the things you learned from your parents, which do you feel was the most valuable?
- What accomplishments were you the most proud of?
- What is the one thing you most want people to remember about you?
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