Ancestry Academy  > Education  >  Oral History Interviews

 

Discover the value of capturing your ancestors’ voices and history with Crista Cowan, Ancestry Corporate Genealogist, and Erika Manternach, Publications Team Manager at AncestryProGenealogists. Crista and Erika discuss the essential practice of conducting oral history interviews. The core objective of this virtual event was to underscore the critical role of these interviews in enriching family narratives and preserving personal stories, values, wisdom, and memories for future generations, details often unattainable through typical genealogical records like census documents. Viewers were provided with unique insights into transforming factual records into deeply meaningful and enduring stories by gathering context about daily life, personality, and personal experiences.

 

The discussion covered a variety of practical and strategic tips, beginning with guidance on who to interview, emphasizing the value of capturing perspectives from siblings, cousins, and children, in addition to older relatives. Crista and Erika stressed that interviews do not require overly formal settings; capturing bite-sized, organic moments using cell phones or recording regular Zoom calls is highly effective and more convenient than past methods. Effective planning was highlighted, specifically the importance of customizing questions based on family context and structuring the interview into manageable segments, typically 60 to 90 minutes long. Key interviewing techniques included starting with easier questions, practicing active listening, and consistently asking follow-up questions to put the interviewee at ease and demonstrate curiosity. Additionally, Crista and Erika addressed the necessity of immediate organization and preservation of digital media by labeling, numbering, exporting audio/transcripts, and using storage systems like Google Drive. Finally, the virtual event covered various output options, ranging from creating customized, archival-quality transcript books for family members, sharing raw audio files, uploading audio to Ancestry trees, and leveraging digital tools to create sharable video snippets or mini-documentaries. Tips were also provided for navigating difficult conversations by focusing on overcoming adversity and how experiences shaped values, rather than dwelling on painful trauma.

 

Chapters:

- The Value of Oral History

- Planning Your Interviews: Who and How

- Interview Strategies and Techniques

- Preservation, Organization, and Sharing Family Stories

- Navigating Challenging Conversations and Memory Loss

- Final Tips and Resources for Interview Questions

 

Don't let valuable memories fade—grab your device and record a bite-sized story from a loved one today! Check out https://www.progenealogists.com/oral-histories for more information.