Discover your family history by interviewing family
Interviewing your relatives is a great way to trace your family history.Here are a few tips to prepare for a family interview:
1. Asking the right questions. If you know what you want to get out of the interview ahead of time, everything will run much smoother. So write down a list of questions before you go. However, don't use these as the only part to your interview, because letting them lead the conversation will be more beneficial. Some of the best information comes from memories that your interviewee dredges up mid-conversation rather than in response to a question.
2. Bring along a video or audio recorder. This saves your having to frantically scribble notes and lets you relax, develop or display your interest and really get a flavor of what the interviewee is saying. Always ask the interviewee's permission before you start recording. Video recording is much better, and if they will agree to it I recommend using a video first. That way you create a fuller record of the interview because you can see the expressions on the interviewees' face as he or she talks. It gives the existing generations and the ones yet to come a glimpse of the past.
3. Help them recall events with pictures and documents. Often photographs can help to jog memories and have a dramatic effect on the stories that the interviewee remembers. If there's a lull in the conversation, producing a photo album is an excellent way to reestablish the flow. Thanks to the fact that copying photos is a lot easier than it once was, you can take copies of your old photos using a scanner, print off as many copies as your need and keep the originals safe at home.
4. Respect the feelings of the individual you interview Even though you may want to get all the information now, don't push the issue if a relative isn't forthcoming about certain information or they are becoming tired. Sometimes people find that they are not in the right frame of mind to talk about the past, or they may want to stop and consider before revealing certain pieces of information. If this occurs you can always arrange another interview for another time or ask another relative the same question.You don't want to cause any ill feeling.
5. Be grateful.-5. Make sure you show gratitude. Thank your relatives for their time and patience after the interviews. Also, invite them to keep up with your family history research by sending them new information when you get it. The best way to keep everyone informed is to create your family tree online. A great website for building your family tree and tracing your family history for free is Mundia.com. The reason this resource is so useful is that you can invite your family members to collaborate on your family tree and add additional family information that they might remember. Not only can they add information but they can also upload photos, important documents that they might have as well as stories that they might remember.
So if you ever though history was as boring as can be, when you trace your family history you might change your mind.