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Jul 2008 Issue
by LaRae Free Kerr
Family reunions, of one kind or another, grace summer days. Whether your summer get-together is formal or just a gathering of close relatives, you can further your family history by getting some oral histories. Following are some of the suggestions for getting oral histories from the forthcoming book, The Least You Need to Do to Find Your Own True Ancestors. Another column will include lists of questions you could ask.
An oral history is a recorded interview by one person of another person or persons with the object of discovering specific genealogical and/or historical information. Oral histories can be entertaining, revealing, intriguing, and the framework upon which you build pedigrees. Just remember, everyone tells the same story differently.
To create oral histories you will need a digital recorder of some type. If you don’t have one, buy the best quality you can afford. Charles E. Hughes, a speaker at the Conference on Computerized Family History and Genealogy, 2008 recommends the Marantz PMD 660 at $499. But some digital recorders can be purchased for about $50. You can still use a compact cassette player if you have one. But tapes do not last as long as CDs. Use a microphone placed closely but unobtrusively by or on the interviewee. Internal mics produce poor quality sound. You can also use a digital camera or camcorder, as long as the sound is exceptional. The images will always be valuable, but the words are what you are after.
First and foremost, do it now. Every time a relative dies a whole library about your family is lost.
Do have goals. Don’t just say, “Tell me about the family.” If you want family group data, stick to that goal, bringing the interviewee back to it time after time. If your goal is to find out information about your own great grandfather, bring the interviewee back to him as often as necessary.
If your goal is to uncover the life of the interviewee himself, people like your parents and grandparents, ask questions in chronological order. Start with parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Ask about childhood events, high school, further training and first jobs. Then cover courtship, marriage and children. Discuss employment, community and church service. Finally turn to grandchildren and old age.
Make sure your equipment works. Whether you are using pen and paper, audio tapes, visual tapes, or digital equipment, practice making it work in the environment where you will be interviewing.
Carry spare tapes and batteries and practice inserting them. Figure out the kind of lighting that works best for video or digital cameras and arrange for it.
Enter the name of the person, the interviewer (yourself), the date and place into the equipment before the interview. Check the equipment, if possible, at the start of the interview. It might be wise to use both the video or digital equipment and a digital recorder to preserve the information.
Ask the interviewees for permission to interview and record them, being sure to explain the purpose of the oral history and what will be done with it. Record this statement and their permission. The fact that relatives say yes to an interview does not grant you permission to tape and use their information. Both your request for permission to create and use the oral history and the relative’s positive response must be on the same tape or digital repository as the oral history. Further, you may feel a need to ask for this permission again during the interview, particularly if difficult material is revealed.
People are more afraid of public speaking than of death. You can imagine how frightened people could be when cameras and mics are literally in their faces. To overcome this fear, just visit for a few minutes. Do not put a camera up to your face and try to interview someone while aiming that frightening lens at them. If you do not have a tripod or some other way of aiming the camera, take someone else along who can hold the camera. Once people get talking they tend to forget about the equipment, but not when you are holding it. Once the interviewee is comfortable, you can turn the conversation to the questions you want answered.
Be considerate. Older people get tired, they get hot, they get dehydrated. Take water for them and maybe a treat that is appropriate. Try, really try to keep each session to an hour or under. If you find a relative who is a goldmine of information and who loves to talk, make a second appointment.
Some relatives are so lonely they will keep talking, even repeating stories, just to keep you there.
They will avoid bathroom breaks and exhaust themselves.
Speak loudly and clearly. Be appreciative. Share your results by sending copies of the interview to the interviewee. When you have completed your family history project, donate the oral histories to your local history museum, or a public or university library.
Enjoy your relatives this summer by interviewing them at a reunion or family gathering.
LaRae Free Kerr, M ED, can be reached at
Itsallrelatives@sfcn.org and Itsallrelatives.net.
