Considering Edits on Find a Grave

I am a heavy user of Find a Grave, both to locate ancestors/in-laws and to memorialize them.

Above, what Find a Grave says about itself and its goal, a "virtual cemetery experience." The site has more than 265 million memorials.

Over the years, I've added 600 memorial pages and photographed 1,200 graves. Not a very big number, but how many memorials isn't why I participate.

Usually I photograph dozens of nearby stones when I'm at a cemetery visiting an ancestor's grave. Very few of those extra photos are of people on my family tree, but I create memorial pages and add them so that others may benefit by being able to view the stones and the basic info about each individual.

Gritty details?

Recently, another Find a Grave user sent me an edit request about a non-ancestor's memorial page that I created several years ago, after photographing a stone near my ancestor's final resting place. This edit wanted to have the bio note that the deceased was a reputed drug dealer who had been murdered and was found dead with drugs next to the body--drugs that then disappeared. The edit also included this deceased's underworld nickname. So far as I know, the person submitting the edit request is not a relative.

After doing my own research and verifying most of the story, which is indeed grim, I considered how much detail to put on the memorial page. In the end, I decided to omit much of the grit but include the details that this person was suspected of dealing drugs and the death was due to murder. Also I did not publish the nickname, which was connected to the deceased's ancestry.

Search the bio field for key words

If you've never searched the biography field, here's how to do it. I discovered searching bios on Find a Grave that the word "murder" yields more than 88,000 results. That's .0003 of all the memorial pages on the site--a really tiny number.

Some of the entries are gritty and detailed, others not so much. Searching for "drug dealer" returns only 921 results. Go ahead and try searching for other words...I was surprised at the number of bios that mention specific illegal drugs, for instance. 

In my case, when I didn't accept the verbatim edits suggested by another user, I explained my reasoning, succinctly, to the person who submitted the suggestion. My thought is that anyone who is looking at that person's memorial and sees a word like "murder" can easily do a broad online search and obtain a whole lot more detail with a click or two. I would prefer not to include a lot of gritty details.

Confirm edits before accepting?

Another consideration is what to do with suggested edits for memorials I manage that are not for my ancestors. I rarely know whether these basic edits suggested by other Find a Grave users are factually correct. 

So I first look at the stone for clues and if the edits correspond, I accept right away.

However, if no clues are on the stone or are found on memorials of linked relatives, I do a quick check of genealogy websites to find the deceased in a death record, for instance. This is a quick check, not a deep dive. If it seems accurate, I accept. If not, I try to dig a bit deeper but I don't spend a lot of time.

This year, someone has been requesting a lot of edits to memorials I posted after photographing stones while browsing cemeteries abroad. (Even on vacation, genealogy is on my mind.) In this cemetery, so many of the memorials were of people with the same name (and few details in US-based databases) that I was unable to easily determine whether to accept or decline edits. 

I accepted edits that looked OK, based on other memorials in that overseas cemetery. Then I did something I've never done before: I transferred ownership of all my memorials from that one cemetery to Find a Grave. 

Find a Grave will accept your memorials

It's very simple to transfer a memorial you manage to Find a Grave. Here's a link to the support page explaining the process. Basically, I used 8 as the number of the user that will now manage each memorial. Today, all the memorials I once created and managed in that overseas cemetery are being managed by Find a Grave. Any future edits will be reviewed by Find a Grave, not me. 

What do you think about gritty details on Find a Grave memorial pages? Do you confirm edits to memorials that are not of your ancestors before approving them?

Train Caldwell's "Noble Stallion" Honored in 1852

Newspapers are such a wonderful window into the past, often with articles about surprising elements of family history. Case in point: My husband's great-great-grand uncle Train Caldwell (1810-1887), born in Ohio to James and Mary Caldwell on this day 216 years ago. The Caldwell family soon moved to the town of Posey in Fayette County, Indiana, where Train became a farmer. In 1831, he married Jane McClure (1810-1869), and they raised a family on their farm. 

According to the Richmond (Indiana) Weekly Palladium newspaper, Train Caldwell was the owner of a "noble stallion" exhibited as part of a horse show at the Wayne County (Indiana) Fair in 1852 (almost midway between where Train was born in Ohio and where he died in Indiana). The newspaper described the stallion this way:

He is a rich mahogany bay, of fine size, noble bearing, good style, and great muscular action. There is about him, it appears to us, an almost perfect symmetry of form, and adaptation of part to part. The rules of the society prevented the granting of a premium to Mr. Caldwell but a diploma was presented him by the judges by unanimous and hearty consent.

Train would certainly have been proud of this "noble stallion." Thinking of him on the anniversary of his birth in 1810 and this first day of Family History Month.

What Wasn't Written about Daniel's "Consort," Mildred

Gotta love in-laws. I was taking another look at Daniel Harvey Timberlake Mosse (the father-in-law of my husband's 1c4r) because this is the135th anniversary of his death on September 28, 1891. Daniel was born in Kentucky in 1816. 

Daniel married Mildred Yarbrough Pickett in Ogle County, Illinois, in 1838. It wasn't difficult to find a transcription of the marriage register showing this wedding. You can see an excerpt at top of this post. To decipher it: According to the abbreviations listing (at front of the microfilm of this register), the :: symbol means a marriage, the s (see arrow) means "single" or "miss," and "same" means married by the officiant just above (T.S. Hitt, Minister of the Gospel). So Mildred was single and married Daniel on August 27, 1838.

I knew Daniel had relocated to San Francisco before 1855, but I had no exact dates. 

Mildred's final resting place

Then, redoing my newspaper research, I discovered a sad death notice for Mildred in the Courier-Journal newspaper of Louisville, Kentucky. Published in September of 1849 on p. 3, it reads (creative spelling and all):

DIED. On the route to California, on the 7th of July last, of cholera, MILDRED YARBROUGH PICKETT, consort of Daniel Harvy T. Moss of Galena, aged 24 years, 7 months and 3 days. Her remains were interred fourteen miles from Fort Laramie.

In fact, with more research, I found that Mildred's grave marking was included in one man's compilation of burial sites passed enroute to the Gold Rush in California, republished in "The Kansas City Genealogist" in 1965 (digitized and searchable on Ancestry). So many deaths on the trails leading to Gold Rush country. 😓

As shown below, Mildred was buried as "Mrs Mildred Moss, wife of D H T Moss, late of Galena, Ill, d. July 7, 1849, age 25." [Creative spelling]

Questions about Mildred

Mildred's succinct newspaper death notice, published in Kentucky where Daniel was from, filled in some gaps for me but raised a few questions as well. 

First: A consort? Her grave marker called her "Mrs. Mildred Moss" (creative spelling). But it seems "consort" referred to "wife" at the time. Why not write "wife" in the newspaper notice?

Second: Why was Mildred's full maiden name used in the newspaper notice? Her married name was in the burial marker but not written in the newspaper notice. Odd.

Third: How old was Mildred on her wedding day? With a parent's consent, a woman could marry as young as 14 in those days. Calculating Mildred's age from the death notice, she would have been born on December 4, 1824 and that puts her just shy of 14 on her wedding day. No parental consent was noted on the marriage register. So either the death notice got her age wrong by a few months/years--a definite possibility--or she had a parent's consent that was fudged in some way. 

Daniel must have been grief-stricken as he continued the journey to San Francisco with their 3 children, arriving as the Gold Rush was filling the city with newcomers. After a few years, he remarried and had another child. Daniel established a book and stationery store that thrived for two decades. When he died in 1891, he had 6 grandchildren. I hope Daniel told them all the stories of his travels across the country and his experiences in early San Francisco.

"What wasn't written down" is this week's 52 Ancestors prompt from Amy Johnson Crow.

Remembering Edgar James Wood and His Love of Piano

One hundred years ago this month, my late father-in-law arrived back in the United States after touring Europe as a piano player for an "American college jazz band." Edgar James Wood (1903-1986) had been an undergraduate at Tufts University (then Tufts College) until May, 1926, but he didn't graduate because he couldn't pass his last class. This image shows Ed as a member of the Zeta Psi fraternity, in the class of 1926. 

Ed had fond memories of his time at Tufts and he attended reunions on and off for decades. My husband donated Ed's Boston-area theater programs from the 1920s to the Tufts Lilly Music Library several years ago.

Love of piano 

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Ed fell in love with the piano as a preteen. He played just about every day, soon performing for grammar school assemblies and later performing at fraternity and sorority dances around Boston to help pay his Tufts tuition. 

During the 1920s jazz era, Ed took his "fake book" to Europe when he played with an "American college jazz band" (made up with different musicians each time) for several summers. They crossed the Atlantic on big ocean liners and performed at resorts in France and Italy to pay for their travel and board. OK, some of the musicians were out of college but still in their 20s and ready for summer adventures.

In college, Ed composed a class song, Ring Forth! which is archived in the Lilly Library to this day. Years later, Ed and a friend composed a song that won an award bestowed by famed composer George Gershwin in Cleveland in 1934. That original music is framed and has pride of place in one of his children's homes.

Insurance by day, piano by night

From the mid-1930s on, Ed became an insurance adjustor but continued to play piano professionally at night and on weekends. These frequent gigs kept him connected with the Cleveland music community as well as providing extra income. Ed purchased a Steinway baby grand piano (manufactured in the year of his birth, 1903) and it was in his living room wherever he and his wife Marian McClure Wood (1909-1983) made their home.

Ed passed away 40 years ago this month. A few years earlier, my hubby had tape recorded a couple of lengthy interviews with his father, which we transcribed and have digitized for the rest of the family to keep. Rest in peace, Ed, you are remembered with much affection and your stories are not forgotten.

Floyda's Needlework, Bequeathed with a Story

My husband's maternal grandmother, Floyda Mabel Steiner McClure (1878-1948), was an expert with a needle. She loved to embroider, sew, crochet, and more. Even as a young girl, she stitched alongside her older sisters and shared their love of needlework. 

As an adult, she created or embellished lots of household items and clothing accessories. She also passed her love of needlework to her only granddaughter, teaching her to sew doll clothes. That anecdote was handwritten by the granddaughter and tucked into the box of needlework she inherited from Floyda.

Above, a small sample of Floyda's needlework: A tea towel with a delicate crocheted border, a pair of off-white leather gloves with crochet backing, and a cross-stitched bedspread. 

Several years ago, Floyda's needlework came to hubby and me for safe-keeping while a relative was downsizing and moving. Now much of this pretty cache of needlework has gone home with Floyda's great-granddaughter, who enjoys knitting and sewing. Floyda's legacy will live on, with the handwritten background story tucked inside the box.

Remembering Daisy, A Twin and Mom of Twins

This was a very sorrowful day in 1981. My mother (Daisy Schwartz Burk, 1919-1981) passed away 45 years ago today, after a courageous three-year battle with breast cancer. 

Mom was a twin: Her sister was Dorothy H. Schwartz (1919-2001), who taught steno and typing for decades at Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx, NY.

Mom had been a legal secretary before becoming a school secretary at Central Commercial High School in the heart of Manhattan (later renamed and relocated). This photo is from the school's 1972 yearbook.

Daisy was a super-duper typist and stenographer, juggling work and evening or weekend school (to earn college credits for salary increases) plus bringing up her twin daughters (me and Sis) and our younger sister. This week I surprised my Sis (and other relatives) by baking a dish she learned from her Mom: meatloaf with a hard-boiled egg hidden inside. It was a hit!

Missing Mom and thinking of her with much love today. Her beloved first cousin sent me this photo of Mom at the beach in the early 1940s. I and love it (and her) so much!

The LOC Veterans History Project, Part 5: Submitting a Vet's Memories

Last post in this series! Earlier posts explained each step of planning, completing, and documenting my husband's interview plus required paperwork for participation in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. 

My sister says this sounds like a lot of work and in a way, she's correct. But how often do we have the opportunity to have a relative memorialized in the US Library of Congress? Just take one step at a time and pay attention to the details, which genealogy folks are very good at doing. 

In this post, I'll describe the process of submitting the veteran's memories (interview, documentation, the works) to the LOC. 

Interview on USB or...

The lovely volunteers who recorded my video interview with my vet (my husband) gave me the recording in MP4 format on a USB drive I had provided. I watched it from beginning to end, to be sure the interview was complete and looked good. I watched it a few more times to create the video log described in the previous post. 

Then I made several copies, on my computer and on other USB drives. (I don't use CD or DVD at this point, although these are allowed by the LOC guidelines for submissions.)

The Library of Congress will accept a USB drive, but it does not want any label or writing on the drive. So I put my USB into a small envelope, sealed it, and marked the outside with the vet's name, etc. 

Paperwork too

After making a copy of the small stack of LOC paperwork required to go with the interview (plus having pdfs on my computer), I checked the cover letter checklist one more time. Yup, everything was there.

I clipped the pages together and put them into a small box. On top of the papers I put the USB in its envelope. Then I added a bit of clean filler to keep the box's contents from shifting or rattling. I addressed the box as directed by the LOC and sealed it very securely to keep the contents safe. (I love the sound of packing tape being ripped from the dispenser as I wrap boxes and envelopes.)

Sorry, no postal carriers involved

The LOC warns against using the US Post Office for submitting materials. Why? Because of special screening for materials mailed to the LOC (and other US government entities in Washington, D.C.), as noted on the image above.

Instead, any submission for the Veterans History Project must be made by UPS or FedEx or, if you live nearby, delivered in person.

I sent my vet's package via the cheapest ground shipping of UPS, and it was delivered within two days. It cost more to ship than the US Post Office but rules are rules. My hubby's military veteran memories are worth the small extra expense to be included in the venerable Library of Congress. 

In less than three weeks, I received a postcard acknowledging the submission. The LOC also told me the wait time is 8 to 10 months to hear whether the submission meets requirements and is processed into the collection. I do hope my hubby's interview will be processed by late spring of 2027!

Looking Back at the Twin Towers, 25 Years Later

It was mid-afternoon in Rome, Italy on September 11, 2001 when dramatic scenes captured by CNN broke into regular afternoon programming. My husband and I were with a tour group and many folks were having a quick snooze between outings. I was relaxing in the lobby, a small needlepoint project in hand and one eye on the Italian show on TV. Suddenly, the screen switched to horrifying CNN footage of a World Trade Center tower rammed by a plane.

Quickly I found the tour guide to translate the Italian announcer's commentary and together we gathered the rest of the guests around the TV. As we watched in disbelief, the second jet rammed the Twin Towers and our guide kept translating what the news anchors were saying. We sat numb and devastated as the first Tower collapsed.

Many tour members rushed to call friends and relatives in New York City, even though we'd already heard that the lines were jammed and calls weren't getting through. My hubby and several others sprinted to the nearest Internet cafe to check online news sites and send e-mails to our New York relatives and friends.

The rest of that day is a blur, although I remember the guide suggested a quiet walking tour of one of the seven hills. The next day, we (and everyone else) ran to buy newspapers for more coverage of this terrible attack (image at top shows the front pages of two Italian newspapers from September 12, 2001). 

Throughout that tour, Italians would gently approach us, ask if we were American, and express their shock over the attacks and their support for us in our grief.

The tour visited the Vatican on Friday, September 14, when the worldwide three minutes of silent observance was held. We, along with everyone inside and outside the Vatican buildings, stood completely still, heads bowed, in silent prayer or contemplation or sorrow. For three minutes, the world mourned together.

Now 25 years later, the anniversary of that tragic day still brings sadness but also remembrance about how many lives were saved, and the heroism of New York's Finest and New York's Bravest. Never will I forget the comforting feeling of joining with people of many nations to observe that solemn moment of silence thousands of miles from New York City, my home town.

The LOC Veterans History Project, Part 4: Paperwork

 

This is the fourth entry in my series of posts about getting a military veteran's experience into the US Library of Congress. In part 1, I wrote about getting ready for an interview with a vet for this project (which I did for my hubby, a peacetime vet of the US Army). In part 2, I wrote about planning questions and practicing the interview with your vet. In part 3, I wrote about audio or video interviewing and recording one with your vet. My hubby's interview lasted 54 minutes, well within the parameters set by the LOC (minimum of 30 minutes).

This post is about the required paperwork that must accompany submission of an interview (or submission of photos/memoirs) for this LOC project.

Bio form: military time and more

Above, an excerpt from the top of the LOC's Biographical Data Form. You can download this and other paperwork from the LOC Veterans History Project page.

The bio form focuses mainly on the vet's military time: branch of service, unit(s), where served, rank(s), battles if any, awards if any, special achievements, and more. I had most of this from hubby's DD214, and other discharge papers, and I covered nearly all of this ground during our interview. The info was at hand for me to complete the form. (I could also have filled out the form before--the choice is yours, whichever method works for you and your vet.) I also noted that hubby was in the military during peacetime, not during any war or conflict.

You may find more detail in other family documents. I was careful when writing out this form because my hubby the vet will be represented in the prestigious Library of Congress. The next generation is already impressed that his military experience will be part of this institution.

Other required documents

The LOC provides these "fillable" forms for download on its project page. "Fillable" means we can type our answers directly on the form and print/save for submission. Note: not all forms are relevant for all submissions. I didn't use the photo log nor did I use the manuscript sheet. I didn't type every form: a few I printed and hand wrote.

The cover letter is important because it highlights exactly what you will be submitting and it serves as a checklist to be sure you don't inadvertently skip anything. The LOC will not accept an incomplete submission. Every detail counts.

In addition to the bio data form, I had my hubby sign the veteran's release form pertaining to his interview participation. I had to sign the interviewer's release form and the two recording operators who volunteered for audio and video work had to sign releases as well. 

Video or audio log?

I completed the AV Recording Log. Although I could have transcribed the nearly hourlong interview, I opted instead to take notes on the important points and where in the interview they were (minutes and seconds from the start). Two examples:

• 15:10 - Symbolism of shoulder patches (hubby explained the unit's name and where/when he received each patch, which we brought as props)
• 25:38 - R & R in Japan (which sparked hubby's lifelong love of all things Japanese)

Transcribe?

Always great to have a transcription, which improves accessibility for researchers in particular, and also family members. Read the FAQs here. If an audio or video interview has been transcribed using AI, it must be reviewed by the person donating the interview. Any transcription with lots of errors will not be posted.

Having read the FAQs, I know the LOC allows submission of additional materials after a vet's collection has been accepted and assigned a collection number. So I opted for a video log, which helps researchers find a specific topic in my hubby's interview, and I will transcribe the interview in the near future. Then, once the LOC has assigned a collection number, I can submit this transcription to be posted next to my husband's video interview. 

Keep copies

Before sending the interview and paperwork to the LOC, I photocopied everything. More in my next post!

The LOC Veterans History Project, Part 3: Recording the Interview

This post looks at plans to record an interview for the Library of Congress's Veterans Oral History Project.

You can do it yourself! The LOC shows how, with recommendations for both iPhone and Android devices. Download their pdf handout here with suggestions, plus the specifications for which types of files are accepted.

Below, part of the LOC page showing that interviews can be submitted on DVD, CD, digital video media, audio cassettes, or USB flash drives. (I submitted on a flash drive. More on this in a later post.)

Library of Congress media specifications for Vet Oral History

Audio or video?

Originally, my husband and I planned to do an audio interview using a digital recorder from a decade in the past. Sadly, that recorder no longer works. Our even older micro-cassette recorders no longer worked, either. We didn't want to use our iPhones or iPad because we were unsure of how good the quality would be, how long the interview would go, and how much storage would be needed. If we were more tech-savvy, we would have done this ourselves. But we weren't confident.

Then we thought about our local senior community center, which has a modest video studio. We visited to see the layout. There is room for two to sit on comfortable chairs, plus space for a video operator and a sound operator. Just as important, the studio recently acquired lavalier microphones to clip on our collars, which would mean better, clearer sound than sharing a single mic on a stand or putting one iPad between the interviewer and interviewee to record.

The awesome studio volunteers offered to record the vet interview and, depending on how it turned out, let us choose to submit video or audio. We explained that our practice sessions ran about one hour, and that we would bring a few small props to hold up for the camera. 

Writing the intro

According to the Library of Congress guidelines, the interviewer must state the following info at the outset:

• Interviewer's name and organization affiliation, if any (such as a Scout who is doing this interview as a special project). No organization affiliation in the case of interviewing my hubby.
• The veteran's full name.
• The date and location of the interview.
• The names of any others present, such as recording equipment operators.
• Say that the interview is being conducted for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.
• NO private info (no military serial numbers, no home addresses or phone numbers, etc).

I wrote this intro separately from the questions, and checked with the recording operators about how to pronounce their names. Also, the operators (and anyone else present at the interview) needed to sign release forms, because their names would be mentioned in the interview intro.

Recording in progress!

On the day of the interview, my hubby and I brought our list of questions, written intro, drinking water, props, and release forms when we went to the studio. We also brought a large capacity USB flash drive. We dressed neatly, avoiding loud prints or plaids that might distract, and I made sure our faces didn't look sweaty before we began. If your vet has a uniform or hat or shirt, I think that would be acceptable to wear for an interview.

I sat in the easy chair on the left while my hubby sat in an easy chair on the right. Between us was a table with props (shoulder patches, etc). We also put a prop or two on the arms of our chairs, handy for when we needed them. The wonderful operators clipped on lavalier mics, tested sound levels a few times, and did a quick test video of the intro to be sure we were in focus and the lighting was good.

Then...they put a sign on the outside door, "recording in progress," and rolled the camera. Actually, they had an older, compact pro TV camera mounted on a tripod plus a newer iPad on a tripod for redundancy as they recorded. I love suspenders and belt people who go the extra mile to be sure nothing gets lost.

After they gave the signal to begin, I read the intro, and eased into questions about hubby's parents, birthplace, and siblings; his education prior to entering the military; and his decision to volunteer for the draft after high school graduation. He spoke of being inducted into the US Army, going through Basic Training, then Second Eight, then answered the questions about how the rest of his military service unfolded. Sometimes we smiled at a story, letting our natural reactions show.

As my hubby talked, he occasionally reached down for a prop. The camera operator did a closeup on each prop as my husband spoke about it. Occasionally during a story, the operator also did a closeup of my hubby's face. We were so fortunate to be working with people who know what they're doing and wanted to get this oral history recorded properly for the sake of future generations.

In the moment

During the interview, hubby and I were in the moment, not nervous, not conscious of being in a studio, just concentrating on our conversation. We didn't have to worry about whether the recorder was working or the light was wrong or the mic was off. The operators said nothing, never moved, carefully focused on the equipment working properly and letting us get on with the content in our own way.

As he spoke of his military experiences, my hubby's face and voice grew quite animated here and there, recalling something humorous or surprising. He told a story that was brand new to me--in our many years of marriage, I had never heard that anecdote! I now refer to that as the "box of rocks" story. Spontaneous and fun. 

Although we had anticipated the intro and planned for the interview itself, we hadn't planned what is, these days, called an "outro." At the end, I just turned to my husband and thanked him for sharing details of his life as it was before I ever knew him. He smilingly thanked me for asking about his service, and then we reached out and held hands for a moment before the cameras stopped rolling. Spur of the moment, from our hearts.

Remember: 30 minutes minimum, no edits

The LOC doesn't allow edits. We knew from the start that we wouldn't be able to cut anything from the interview, so our practice sessions were extremely helpful in planning what to cover and what to omit, and how to frame a question and an answer. 

Also, having practiced, we were sure the interview would last at least 30 min, the minimum allowed for inclusion in the LOC collection. 

The studio volunteers told us they would review the recording to be sure everything came out fine. Based on their on-the-spot assessment, they told us to go ahead with the video, not just audio. They would convert to one of the content types (as shown in the handout) and put it on the USB I had brought to them.

Importantly, I would also be able to duplicate the video to put on USB drives for our family, who would be able to view this interview at their convenience.

Next: paperwork before submission.

The LOC Veterans History Project, Part 2: Plan and Practice the Interview

If you want to have a veteran's story accepted into the US Library of Congress's Veterans History Project, this series will walk you through the steps. It's a way to keep a special part of family history safe by having it included in the collection of a major repository, which shares the story with the world. My hubby, a peacetime veteran of the US Army, sat for an interview with me a few weeks ago, and that interview has now arrived at the offices of the LOC. Your vet can be from any branch of the military, have served at any time, to be included in this project.

In my earlier post, I suggested beginning the process by downloading and reviewing the LOC field kit. Now, in preparation for an oral history interview, I recommend watching a few of the interviews already posted on the LOC site. 

Audio or Video?

For example, take a look at the Jacob Lux interview here. You'll be able to view the recorded interview, look at the transcript, and also see what additional info was collected at the time of the interview (such as the veteran's service history, service branch, location of service, and more).

Not all the interviews have good, clean audio and video. In this one, the interviewee can be seen clearly and his answers are loud enough and clear enough. Just check a few to get a sense of what might work for your vet. 

Note that some interviews are audio-only, which is definitely allowed by the LOC. Think about your veteran and how comfortable that veteran would be with being recorded on camera or via audio recorder. Also think about what your veteran might want to wear and any props that would improve the interview (for the interviewee and the viewer). Take notes to help you plan!

Plan Questions

Also take a look at the listing of sample interview questions and share the list with the veteran to be interviewed. This is a downloadable pdf of the sample questions.

Which questions would the veteran like to answer--and which would not make sense or are not of interest to the veteran? These are sample questions, not mandatory. In fact, the oral history interview will be much better with questions tailored to the vet and their experience, whether you choose audio-only or video recording.

My husband read through the questions, checked off those he wanted to answer, and I typed up an interviewer list with those questions, allowing space between questions for notes as we continued our pre-interview planning. Because I already had his military background on a separate piece of paper, I was able to add questions that allowed him to expand on his personal experience in the military.

Above, part of my retyped list of questions. Note the parenthesis in question #10, "you can type," which was a reminder to ask him how his ability to type affected hubby's military service. (If you interview a vet you don't know well, have a good conversation first with the vet to get some highlights you can follow up on during the interview.)

Also note the all-caps NAME PLATE in question #11, a reminder to hold his special office name plate up to the camera while he explained the significance of each symbol. Then a few more phrases ("primitive conditions, laundry story") that I could weave into a question if my husband didn't lead into one of these stories.

Oral history is about the interviewee

If you're going to be asking the questions, think about how to keep the focus on the interviewee. There are lots of good sites with advice about oral history, such as this one from the Smithsonian. I planned my hubby's LOC interview to revolve around his military experiences within the context of his family background, education, friendships, and work career (before and after the service).

In fact, I created a brief timeline of my husband's service, showing dates and corresponding activities (entering service, being sent abroad, being sent back to the US, etc.). This would be handy in case I needed to clarify a date or unit or place during the interview.

As with all oral history, it's a good idea to ask questions that are open-ended, relevant, and to the point. Allow sufficient time for the veteran to formulate a response to each question, especially if their military service was decades in the past. If the vet wants to "tell a story," that will make the interview even more lively and interesting. Stories are what make family history especially memorable!

Practice once or twice

Whether you propose to do an audio-only or video interview, you and the vet will want to practice the questions and responses. Not really a rehearsal, this is an opportunity to see which questions make sense, see whether the questions should be asked in a different order, and time the entire thing. It also lets the vet retrieve memories and smooth out answers before being recorded. Think of this as a conversation with the vet, not public speaking. Keep the pace conversational, not rushed, and allow time for the vet to respond.

Be aware that the Library of Congress wants an interview to be at least 30 minutes. My hubby and I practiced twice, tweaking the questions and the order while he dug deep into his memories for fresh answers. He never told a story the same way twice, which is good. We had props handy for him to refer to (such as shoulder patches from different units). I wrote down where to remind him in case he left out pertinent details or a good story in the actual interview.

Next: Recording the interview. Plan your wardrobe, be sure your glasses don't reflect off the camera, powder down your shine so you and your vet look good!

The LOC Veterans History Project, Part 1: Getting Ready

This summer, I helped to plan my husband's participation in the US Library of Congress's Veterans History Project. He had served in the US Army decades ago, during peace time. We were able to do a video interview that I've just submitted (with a short stack of paperwork) to the Library of Congress. This is a great way to keep an aspect of family history safe in another repository.

Although I won't hear for weeks (or months) whether the video will be accepted for posting on the LOC website, I'm blogging about the process so you can see how to plan for a military veteran (maybe yourself or someone in your family or your community) to have their first-person account of military experience included in the Library of Congress's archives.

The vet does not have to have served during a war to participate. Peacetime service memories are welcome because they reveal different aspects of life in the military. Nor does the vet need to be an officer, or career military. My hubby focused his memories on day-to-day life in the US Army, training, skills acquired, people he met, and lessons he learned in four and a half years of service.

There's a bit of detailed paperwork to participate. IMHO, this is worthwhile because allows us to tell much of the veteran's story in writing, not just verbally or via video or through letters from back in the day. 

Learn what will be needed

First, review the "field kit" for the LOC Veterans History Project and download it here. This is not just an overview of how to participate, it also has documents you can fill out online or print and fill out by hand, if you choose. Plus the documents explain what can be submitted, and who may submit these materials. I downloaded this entire package of documents to have handy.

Above, a snippet from the guidance for veterans on how to participate in this LOC project. 

Read the FAQs

Next, look at the frequently asked questions page for additional info about this veterans project. I learned from the FAQs, for instance, that the vet (and interviewers) retain copyright for submitted interviews (and other materials). Anything recorded for the Library of Congress can be shared with relatives, historical societies, community groups, and other folks if the vet would like. Note that if you plan an audio or video interview, it cannot be too short. See this image.

Interview and/or more materials 

The Library of Congress would like a veteran to submit an interview (audio or video) of at least 30 minutes in length. It can be longer, but no shorter. No editing, no previous interviews with new intro added. The interview for the LOC should include an intro about who, what, when, and where. (I'll explain more in a later post.)

An interview can be accompanied by 10 original photographs/letters and/or 20 original, unpublished documents/diaries/memoirs pertaining to the vet's military service. Not mandatory to have more than one type of medium.

Note that this is AND/OR for each item. Interview alone, or with photos and/or documents. So one category or two categories or three categories of original media can be submitted if you choose.

My husband and I decided on an interview alone, no other materials to be submitted except the documents to go with the video. But he did have some props handy to show during the interview.

Start by reading and thinking ahead

Before you do anything else, read through the overview and the FAQs so you know what to expect and how to prepare. This project requires careful documentation and preparation; submissions that don't meet the requirements will not be accepted. 

Let me reassure you: one step at a time and you can get this done for the veteran(s) in your life! 

Tune in next time for more.

Happy 18th Blogiversary

OTD in 2008, I began blogging about family history. I was a decade into my genealogy research and my first blog post was about great-grandpa Meyer Elias Mahler (1855?-1910). 

In the 18 years since that initial post, I learned lots more about Meyer and his family. I also examined my husband's ancestors and in-law ancestors on both sides of our tree (I do love in-laws!). 

As I gained experience, I improved my research strategies, learned to better document my ancestors, and began sharing family history as often and as widely as possible, keeping privacy in mind. 

Despite ongoing changes in the social media world, I'm sticking with Blogger because...

• It's free!
• I have 18 years of experience with this fairly uncomplicated platform. 
• Owned by Google, Blogger is included in search results. Cousin bait!
• Readers can leave comments with minimal rigamarole; moderating comments is easy, to screen out spammers.
• My posts can be long or short, include images (or not), include tags, and be scheduled ahead of time.

I deeply appreciate my readers and thank you from my heart for following along on my genealogy journey. More posts are ahead!

Why Institutions Want Family History Items

My husband and I began our journey of curating our family history collection in 2013. We had hundreds of theater and concert programs to donate, collected by Wood ancestors and our relatives from the 1920s to the 1990s. Our family agreed with the idea of donating because no one wanted to keep these programs any more.

NOTE: If you have questions about donating (or selling) items with monetary value, please seek professional advice. I'm no expert!

History in a theater program

One of the first institutions we approached was the university where a cousin was studying theater. The theater department told us it was mainly interested in Broadway Playbills. Why? We were a little surprised by the answer: As much as the plays and the actors were of interest, the ads and the fashions of the times were also quite valuable for research purposes.

Theater programs carry ads from local stores and restaurants, and often feature contemporary fashions, stylish jewelry, and (in those days) cigarettes, plus much more. This helps students and teachers research cultural trends, businesses, and so on. For a university production of a 1970s play, looking at clothing ads in theater programs of that era can stimulate costume ideas. And that's just one small example.

Other college libraries were interested in non-Broadway cultural programs, and now my father-in-law's Cleveland programs and Boston programs are owned by two different university collections, filling gaps in their collections. 

Where would an item go?

As you curate your collection, think not only about your family's connections but also how a few of the items might fit into the collection of an institution that does not focus on genealogy. 

At top, an ad from my Mom's 1936 high school yearbook. S. Klein is no longer in existence, but it did well during the 1930s, because Depression-era shoppers sought out its bargains. So if you're studying the history of New York City businesses or, specifically, S. Klein's past, this ad would show you (1) its logo (which evolved over time), (2) its outreach to high school graduates and their parents, (3) its main merchandise focus.

My Mom's yearbook is now in the collection of the Bronx Historical Society, adding to its library of local yearbooks. Even my Mom's 1950s needlework magazines (complete with Addressograph labels) found a home in a Midwest historical society that was missing those issues.

Check with family, digitize, document

Before I donate anything, I check with relatives to be sure no one wants the item(s). Then I digitize selected parts of the items. With yearbooks, I digitize the front cover, table of contents, and any photos/mentions of ancestors/loved ones. 

PRO TIP: Maintain a folder with signed acknowledgements of donations to institutions. This way, heirs will know what items have been donated and to which repositories. 

Still Waiting for Dad's VA Medical Records

My Dad, Harold D. Burk (1909-1978), passed away in the Bronx, New York, OTD in 1978. He was five weeks from his 69th birthday. I've added Dad to Find a Grave here with a bite-sized bio, noting his service in the US Army during World War II. The shadowbox frame above holds his military memorabilia, organized and identified for the next generation and beyond.

Before his death from heart problems, Dad had been in and out of VA hospitals for 20 years--and as his descendants, Sis and I very much want to see his medical records.

2024 Veterans Affairs FOIA Request

In early December of 2024, I submitted a formal request for the US Veterans Affairs agency to provide me with Dad's files, under a Freedom of Information Act inquiry. No response for months. And months.

2025 Denial and Appeal

I finally received a smidgen of info in August of 2025, basically the info I had provided to the VA to support my request. The agency denied my request for Dad's entire file, for no real reason, saying my inquiry was actually genealogical in nature. Um, no.

On the advice of the wonderful folks at Reclaim the Records, I quickly appealed the VA's decision and provided detailed info to prove my identity as Dad's next of kin. Supposedly the FOIA law requires a prompt response but I and many others have only had ... crickets. For months.

2026 Followup of Appeal

In February of 2026, I asked my local Member of the House of Representatives to please get involved and obtain the file or at least an estimated date of resolution to this ongoing request. For the past six months, the powers that be have continually stalled my Rep's staff. They twice asked for the reference number of my request--which I provided, both times, including with a scan of the VA's letter assigning the reference number. 

Yesterday, staff from my Rep's office told me they had an update from the powers that be: the FOIA request is proceeding into the document gathering phase. I'm cautiously optimistic, hoping I will see Dad's file before the end of 2026. 

It is now 12 months since the VA denied my request, and 20 months since my original FOIA request. Fingers crossed.

Remembering Dad with love on this 48th anniversary of his death.