Writing your family history

Writing A Family History From the web

A lot of people think that genealogy is just a dry list of names and dates. But, with the simple addition of personal memories and family stories, genealogy can be much more than that.

Buried in the memories of your relatives are stories just waiting to be told. Even in your own mind, there are memories worth preserving. A tape recorded interview is an excellent way to preserve these stories and memories. A tape recorded interview has the additional benefit of preserving the person's voice for prosperity.

Here are a few tips for doing a tape recorded interview. First, sit where there will not be a lot of background noise that will be picked up on the tape. Second, make sure that your tape recorder is in good working order. If you are using batteries in your tape recorder, make sure that you have fresh batteries. Finally, some people are intimidated with the idea of speaking into a tape recorder, so try to place it a little off to the side so that it is not staring them in the face while they are talking.

Remember, every family has skeletons in the closet, and some may not want to talk about those things or have generally known. It is possible for those facts to be withheld from the copies of the family history that are circulated to others for a specified period time or until after a certain event (like the death of someone, or the death of everyone in a certain generation). But by writing down the story now you can be certain that it will not be lost for all time, after all none of us can be assured of tomorrow.

The November 1973 issue of The New Era magazine carried an article writen by William G. Harley entitled "Suggested Family Oral History Topics" on page 21. The article includes an excellent outline that you can use to help you organize yourself. It is available online by going to http://library.lds.org . You may also be able to get a copy of this article at your local LDS Family History Center. If you are unable to get a copy of the article there you can request a copy from:

Library Reference, Historical Department
50 E North Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84150-3800
make a check payable to "Corporation of the President" for $1.05 US currency.

You may find using an outline the easiest way to write a biography or do an oral history interview. While the list may seem long when you first look it, you will find that the general topics will help the person remember many stories. This outline is just a general guide to help you develop specific questions for the person you are interviewing.

Remember you want details, as many and as specific as possible. When talking about their childhood home, encourage them to remember details of what it was like: What type of house was it? How many bedrooms? Did they share a bedroom or even a bed with others? What type of yard did they have? What type of neighborhood was it? What types of appliances where in their house? You are a reporter digging for facts, follow your instincts and satisfy your curiosity when asking questions.

Even if you fear that you will not have enough time to cover everything, don't put off asking questions. One, every little bit that you can record now is something that will not be lost. And second, several short interviews are better than one marathon interview anyway.

Need more help? I have put a list of questions you can use on
How to Write A Family History-Part 2