|
Last month we encouraged everyone to start scanning,
organizing and sharing those old family photos we've been storing.
There's a power in pictures that invites interest, curiosity and
interaction. As such, they are perfect props for inspiring a
family history interview.
Melanie Fouse tells us it's important to interview family members.
"We NEED to record these memories before we are unable to remember
or relate them," she said. "I counted seven of our immediate
relatives...aunts, uncles, parents, grandfather and cousin...who
died between November and February. I don't know about you,
but Dad (Bob Spiker) and Tom (Miller) have been on my mind a lot
this month. And since Uncle Brad (Spiker) died January 20th,
it's probably been on the minds of his kids. Uncle Lynn
(Spiker) died in April, so it will be on his children's minds soon
as well.
"These
people are gone and can no longer tell us their personal memories.
WHY didn't we talk to them before they left us? Our generation
needs to get started on this now. Do you realize that if I die
as young as my father was, I only have about 20 years left?
That might sound like a lot of time to a 20-year-old, but it's the
same amount of time it took me to grow from a child to a
graduate...or the time it took to raise my children. It's
coming sooner than I like to think about.
"I remember
Dad trying to get these stories from his brothers and sisters, but
he waited too long for some. That's why I made that family
history scrapbook (located at the Spiker farm) and why it's so
important that the next generation continue to add to it."
Interviewing family members helps us learn more about our history,
culture and traditions. The resulting stories can offer
details about personal relationships, insight into personalities,
and even provide potential corrections to official records.
The easiest way to get started is to interview yourself.
That's right. Tell your own story. Consider creating a
heritage scrapbook.
Begin by
jotting down a few basic questions such as when and where you were
born, your full name, how your name was chosen, etc. Then make
a list of detailed questions organized into categories such as:
Home & Community Life (What do you remember about the houses you
lived in? Did you have electricity, indoor plumbing?
Were there any special items in the home that you remember?
Where did you go to school?, Did you have pets?)
Personalities & Relationships (What was your relationship like
with your mother/father/brother/sister? What were your
favorite things to do for fun? Did you have family chores?
Of all the things you learned from your parents, which do you feel
was the most valuable?)
(continued at right)
|
|
(continued from left)
Economic
Conditions (How did the family earn money? Who worked?
What world events had an impact on you growing up?)
Family
Facts (Are there any special heirlooms that have been passed
down in your family? What was your profession & how did you
choose it? When & where did you get married? How did you
learn you were about to become a parent?)
Save your list of
questions as a "master file" then make copies of it that you can
distribute to other family members. Encourage everyone to
record their answers, then compile the response sheets into your
heritage scrapbook.
Even
better...use your list to conduct an oral interview with your
relatives. Many people will scoff at having to write down
their answers, while most people (at least the Spiker clan) enjoy
voicing their stories to any captive audience. Using a voice
recorder and/or video recorder will enable you to capture more of
the emotion and personality of the interviewee.
Of course,
we hope you'll share your stories with the rest of us. We can
include your submissions in the Family History Scrapbook at the farm
and add them to our collection on this website (be
sure to visit our Library for stories we've previously published,
written by and about our family.)
Keep in
mind the other benefits of this project. The results of a personal
interview provide more than just family history data. It can
help strengthen familial bonds and bridge the generational gap --
most elders welcome the opportunity to share their stories with
younger generations, and the youth usually enjoy hearing them.
Reminiscing is healthy for people as they age -- it provides an
opportunity to reflect on one's life, make sense of the past and can
awaken long-forgotten memories. And in the end, by learning
about your family, you're likely to learn a little more about
yourself, too.
Click on any of these links for
sample interview questions.
* Smithsonian Institute --
How to Collect Your Own Family Folklore.
* About.com --
Fifty Questions for Family History Interviews.
* Ancestry.com --
Interview Questions.
* Family Tree Kids --
Interview a Relative: 10 Questions to Ask. |