Oral Histories - Conducting Interviews - by Aubrey Trivett
In our last issue, we talked about writing your personal history, but what if you'd like
to preserve someone else's memories? Do you have a parent, grandparent, or other relative
who tells really wonderful stories? Have you ever tried to retell one of those stories in
your own words? It's not quite the same thing...
As we dig out our ancestral roots, so often we have little to go on besides a name and a
few dates. From these bare facts, we attempt to piece together a life. The search for the
stories behind the facts is what keeps many genealogists eager for the hunt. Who wouldn't
be overjoyed if that search yielded a diary, biography, or other written account about the
elusive forbearer? But while we're rummaging about in centuries past, it's important to
remember the family members of the present as well. While Great-uncle Alfred may be around
to retell that great story about the fish and the trousers any time we want, he's getting
on in years...Who's going to be around to tell that story to our children or grandchildren?
That's where we come in. Maybe it's time to get Great-uncle Alfred to sit down with a
recorder and preserve those memories for all time. In this article, we're going to discuss
oral histories, recording and transcribing our family memories.
Preparing for the Interview
So you've decided that you want to record the memories of an elderly relative. What better
way to preserve those memories than in your relative's own words? If you try to simply write
them out as you remember hearing them, no matter how great a memory you might have, chances
are you'll leave something out or change the story in some way. On the other hand, if you
arrange an interview, you can record your relative as they tell you exactly what happened.
That way, not only will you protect the story, but you'll be sure to get all the facts right.
Census records and ship transcripts aren't the only resources for names and dates. A lot of
them are stored in your relative's head. It might take some careful questioning to get them
all out, though, so it's best to think ahead. Decide beforehand what materials you're going
to need and what questions you might want to ask.
Let's start with materials. First, you'll obviously need a tape player with a microphone.
Remember that you want the interview to go as smoothly as possible, so try to avoid any
potential problems by testing your equipment ahead of time and bringing extra tapes and
batteries. Also, it's a good idea to take along a pad of paper and a couple of pens, just
in case there's anything you want to jot down during the interview.
It's important to decide what questions you want to ask ahead of time. That way you won't
find yourself tongue tied on the day of the interview. In fact, you'll probably want to give
your relative some advance notice about what sort of questions you plan on asking. That will
help to make them feel more comfortable with the whole thing and will also give them a chance
to think about their answers. You can either give them a list of the questions you plan on
asking, or just let them know in general terms what sort of things you'd like to know.
What Sort of Questions?
Okay, so you're thinking about questions. What do you want to know about your relative? Are
there specific stories you've heard him or her tell before that you want to get on tape? Are
you interested in gathering specific information about family members, such as names and dates?
Here are a few basic suggestions for framing questions.
- Try to ask open-ended questions. That is, questions that cannot be answered with a
simple yes or no. Instead of asking, "You were born in California, right?" which will
elicit a one word response, invite your relative to tell you about their birth. That way
you'll get the whole story. Then, if you need to verify facts, you can do so as you go
along.
- While you want to come prepared, don't be so rigid that your relative feels unable to
talk freely. Allow them to tell their stories in their own way. Even if they're talking
about a subject you hadn't planned on, you'll probably still hear something worth knowing.
Keeping the interview questions fluid will also help everyone feel more relaxed.
- Consider using props, such as photos or items that your relative may have around their
house. For example, you might ask about your relative's collection of decorative plates.
What started the collection? Do they hold any special meaning?
The Interview
The beginning of the interview might feel awkward, even if you know the relative you're
interviewing fairly well. Being recorded tends to make us feel self-conscious. If you can,
try to hold the interview in your relative's home. That way they'll feel comfortable with
their surroundings. Open the interview with a question that you think will really get your
relative talking. This might be a good time to ask him or her to recount a favorite story,
something you know they enjoy telling. Once they get going, they'll likely forget the tape
player.
Remember the pad of paper and pens we mentioned before? Don't forget to use them. While the
conversation is being recorded, it always helps to write some things down. Like the correct
spellings of names. If your relative is talking about someone you're unfamiliar with, ask
them to spell the name out. Write that down, so that there's no confusion later when you're
trying to transcribe the interview. Also, while your relative is telling one story, you might
think of another question you'd like to ask. Rather than interrupting, jot the question down
so that you'll be sure to remember it at the next pause.
If the conversation is lagging or if you can't think of another question, start bringing out
the props. You might want to consider bringing along your own photo album, or you can just
ask your relative if he or she has one they'd like to show you. If you're doing the interview
in your relative's home, you can ask about pictures or knickknacks you might see lying around.
One important thing to keep in mind is that you should always be respectful of the person
you're interviewing. There may be topics they'd just rather not discuss. Don't push. If you
sense that they're uncomfortable talking about something, change the subject. If you push too
hard, eventually they're not going to want to talk to you anymore.
Finally, be sure to stay interested and engaged in what they're saying. The more attentive you
are, the more they'll probably want to tell you.
After the Interview
You've done the interview. Now what? Well, there are several things you could do from this point.
You could transcribe the whole conversation, typing it out as you listen to the tape. Regardless
of what else you do with the information, may want to start here just so you have a written
version to refer too. However, transcription is a time consuming and often frustrating task. An
exact transcription will also yield a narrative full of conversational flaws, such as um's, er's,
and self-interruptions. There are certainly some portions of the interview you'll want to preserve
in their original form, but you may want to clean up or reword others.
You need to decide what sort of history you want to end up with. You may want just the interview
itself, or you may want to write a biography. If you want something more like a biography, the
interview is simply the first step, the information gathering stage. From there, you'll want to
review the tape, decide what stories you want to write about and in what order. Then you can start
writing, using the tape and your notes as sources. When you get to a story that you just know needs
to be told in your relative's own words, you can transcribe just that portion of the interview.
And as always, whatever you do, make sure to create multiple copies. If possible, it's a good idea
to make a second copy of the tape itself, but you'll certainly want to make duplicate copies of the
written version. If you're using a computer, save the file in several locations and print out multiple
copies. And don't forget to share the end result with other family members. If you're interested in
Grandma's memories, they probably are too. That will also insure that the history isn't lost if your
personal copy is misplaced or destroyed.
Another good way to preserve and share this memory is to upload the Interview to the pedigree you
have built on the MyTrees.com
website. You can attach it directly to the individual who was
interviewed along with any pictures you may have taken of the interviewee. You will need to save
the interview in text format before uploading it and the pictures need to be in .jpg or .gif format.
After logging into your account click "Upload Biographies " on the left side menu and follow the
directions. To upload pictures click "Upload Pictures ".
If you want the interview to be seen by your family members as a separate item because you may
not yet have built or uploaded a family tree to
MyTrees.com, cut and paste the interview
to the Update
Family News area of your MyTrees.com account. The Interview will be displayed to any family member
to whom you have given your account number and the family password. As always if you need additional
help uploading the interview or pictures to the MyTrees.com website email your questions to
feedback@mytrees.com. We usually will respond within a few days. Or you can call us at 801-229-7967.
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