OikogenHow to record your grandparents' stories
Your grandparents' stories hold names, places and dates that may not be written down anywhere else. Here's how to record them well: how to prepare, which questions to ask, and what to do with the recordings afterwards.
Before you start
- Ask first. Explain why you'd like to record, and that they can skip any question or stop at any time.
- Keep it short. Several sessions of 30 to 45 minutes work better than one long afternoon.
- Find a quiet room. Turn off the TV and sit close. A phone's voice recorder is enough.
- Bring photos. Old photos, letters and documents bring back memories and names.
- Make a quick test recording to check the sound before you begin.
Questions to ask your grandparents
Start with easy, happy topics and leave harder ones for later. Follow the story wherever it goes. The best answers often come from “and then what happened?”
Childhood
- Where were you born, and what was the house like?
- What were your parents like? What did they do for work?
- Did you know your grandparents? What do you remember about them?
- What games did you play, and who were your friends?
- What was school like?
Family
- How many brothers and sisters did you have? Where did each of them end up?
- Were there relatives everyone talked about, or never talked about?
- Where did the family come from before that?
- Are there family names that were passed down?
Love and marriage
- How did you meet your husband or wife?
- What was your wedding like? Who was there?
- Where did you live when you were first married?
Work and moves
- What was your first job?
- What work were you proudest of?
- Did the family ever move to a new town or country? Why?
Traditions and times
- What did holidays look like when you were young?
- Which recipes or traditions came from your parents?
- What big events do you remember living through?
Looking back
- What do you want your great-grandchildren to know about you?
- What's the best advice you were ever given?
- Is there a story you've never told anyone?
While you're recording
- Ask them to spell names and places you don't know, and say them back out loud.
- When they mention someone, ask how that person was related: “your mother's sister, or your father's?”
- Write down rough dates (“just after the war”) as well as exact ones. Rough dates still help later.
- Listen more than you talk. Silence often brings out the next story.
Afterwards: turn the stories into a family tree
Save the audio files in two places, and write down the names, places and dates you heard while they're fresh.
Then tell Oikogen what you learned, in your own words: “Grandma's father, Patrick, was a blacksmith in Galway. He had four children.” Oikogen turns it into a family tree. You check each person before it's saved, and every fact keeps the sentence it came from, so you'll know later which conversation it came from. It all stays on your device.