Holiday Season: A Perfect Time to Save Your Family's Oral History

Oral history is of vital importance to our families, and as we approach another holiday season, we want to revisit a topic we first covered in 2017: interviewing family members. Many of us have experienced personal loss during the past few years. Once those members of our family who hold the "old" memories are gone, the stories are gone too. So, as you gather during the next few weeks to celebrate Chanukah, Christmas, and/or Kwanzaa, think about sitting with your relatives and capturing those family stories before they are lost.

Here are some things you can do to ensure that your interview is successful:

• Don't procrastinate! As we age, all of us become forgetful. The stories your parents and grandparents remember vividly when they are in their sixties and seventies may fade significantly by the time they are in their eighties and nineties.
• Get yourself organized before you begin. Gather your questions, whatever supplies you need to either write or record your interview, and decide where and when you will meet with your interviewee.
• Decide exactly what you want to find out and stay on track. An older person is easily overwhelmed if you ask dozens of questions on a wide variety of topics. Select one or two, such as military service or childhood memories, and concentrate on those. If all goes well, you can schedule another interview at another time to learn more about other subjects.
• Obtain permission for recording, if you intend to do so, and plan to be sensitive about any topics your interviewee does not want to discuss. You may have to work at gaining someone's trust before they divulge what they perceive to be confidential information.
• Reread our blog post from December 2017 for additional suggestions. You can find that post here.

Open-ended questions are always the best way to elicit responses. Here are some ideas you might want to consider:

• Tell me about your childhood . . . 
• What kinds of toys did you have?
• Where did you grow up?
• What was your family life like?
• What was in your home (indoor plumbing? appliances? telephone? television?)
• Who lived with you (relatives? pets?)
• Where did you go to school?
• What hobbies did you have?
• Tell me about your spouse . . .
• Where and when did you meet?
• Where and when did he/she propose?
• What jobs did you both have and where were you living?
• What was your wedding like? Who attended? Where was it? Where was your honeymoon, if you had one?
• Describe how life changed as your family grew.
• Tell me about your job/profession . . .
• Where did you go to school or get your training?
• What was your first job like? Where was it?
• Have you changed jobs/professions? From what to what and why?
• What have you especially enjoyed (or not) about your work?
• Have you served in the military? If so, what branch? Where? How long?
• Tell me about your family traditions . . .
• Has your family been active in a church or synagogue? How has that affected your life?
• Have you attended family reunions? Belonged to cousins clubs? Social or service organizations, such as Rotary Club, Masons, sororities or fraternities?
• How have you celebrated holidays in your family? What specific holiday traditions do you have?
• Tell me about how history has affected you . . .
• Great Depression?
• World War II? Korean War? Vietnam? Other conflicts or wars?
• Natural disasters:Hurricanes? Tornadoes? Fires? Floods? Earthquakes?
• Civil Rights Movement? Women's Rights? LGBTQ Rights?
• Technology?

Clearly, this is just the tip of the iceberg, and once you get started with your relatives, you will surely think of more things you will want to ask. Don't wait to call Grandpa or Great-aunt Susie! Set up that interview appointment now, so your family's future generations will have the benefit of learning an important part of their personal history.