If I Could Do It Over: Oral History

A few years before my late father-in-law Edgar J. Wood passed away in 1986, my husband sat down with him on two occasions, to ask questions about the past. He had a microphone set up on the coffee table and a cassette ready to tape his father's oral history. 

This was a first-ever attempt to ask the last of the older generation about family history and his personal history. Great idea, and I'm grateful my husband did this.

Because hubby has a journalism background, he was prepared with lots and lots of questions for Ed, and held a pad and pen to take notes. (Me, looking back now with hindsight: Pages of questions, taking notes--maybe too direct, maybe a little overwhelming for the interviewee.)

Of course, my husband did many things right: He tested his recording device just before the interviewee began. He smiled and looked interested even when the story seemed old. He asked for the time to interview and made sure the place was quiet and free from interruptions. He got his father's agreement to do the interviews. And afterward, he transcribed the recordings to share with family.

Set the stage for a solid oral history

If we could go back in time and redo this opportunity to capture oral history from Ed, I would:

1. Ask open-ended questions that encourage freewheeling answers. "How did you and Mom meet?" encourages the interviewee to tell a story. This should be a conversation, NOT an interrogation. Interviewers can guide the conversation but not force it or make the interviewee feel cornered. The beginning of an interview sets the tone. My late father-in-law was nervous and not comfortable for the first half an hour, I could hear from the recording, but then he got into story-telling mode and recounted some fascinating tales!
2. Allow time for thinking and remembering. It takes time to retrieve memories from decades in the past. When there are pauses in the conversation, take a deep breath and be patient. Don't push the interviewee, don't rush into the next question. 
3. Allow for natural follow-up. Reporters might have to get through a list of questions, but not family historians. Listening to answers, reflecting on what the interviewee says, will naturally lead to gentle follow-up comments and questions. Being overeager is a trap. After Ed got more comfortable, he was able to recall more vividly some high and low points of his life, and he did share some of his stronger feelings.
4. Try not to interrupt. There are stories that folks just love to tell, over and over. But those stories may lead down a fresh path if we listen with interest and respect...and wait for the right opportunity to pose a natural follow-up comment or question. While my husband was listening to a well-worn story, suddenly his father remembered a key new detail! Some of these memories may be positive, some painful, so I think it's best to let the interview unfold without rigid structure, but with an occasional subtle, supportive comment and open, accepting body language.
5. Interview for fairly short periods, with flexibility. Ed sat for two interviews, each an hour long. Now I think that was too long per interview. I would aim for half an hour and see how things go and continue if the interviewee would like to keep going (depending on age and health, etc). I would also encourage the interviewee to jot down stories he or she would enjoy telling in an interview. This should be a positive experience, not a chore. 

Questions and issues

Back in the day, nobody could envision how much genealogy research would or could eventually reveal about the past. So my late father-in-law had no way to know that eventually we would uncover some irregularities in his stories. Not just timing mismatches, but deliberate obfuscations. Looking back, we now know Ed left out certain details and deflected some questions to avoid disclosing difficult facts or feelings.

Even if we had known about these issues at the time of the interview, I believe it would have been a bad idea to challenge the interviewee's version, what that person wanted to remember/convey. 

If I could go back in time and help my husband redo those oral history interviews, I would recommend that he listen with his heart to what the interviewee was saying and the reason for telling the story that way. Maybe I would suggest rephrasing a particularly direct or sensitive question or give a gentle followup question, nothing confrontational. I wouldn't want the interviewee to get upset or to stop talking.

As the family historian who is lucky enough to have oral history content like Ed's interviews, I can always provide context if and when I retell parts of the story for the benefit of future generations. 

If something was too sensitive to disclose at this time (and that was NOT the case with Ed), I would simply leave a note in my files and let the next generation decide what and when to disclose.

What do you think? 

Contribute "Oral History" With or Without Artifacts

Earlier this year, my husband's Wood family sought to donate a 1950s book about the Hermit Club, an iconic club in Cleveland, Ohio, to an institution in that city or state. We had approached three institutions, but only Ohio History Connection wanted this book--the others already had copies in their collections. 

Curate and donate unneeded family history items

Donating books like this slims down our genealogy collection to focus specifically on materials directly related to our family tree. Just as important, these non-family items will now be available to researchers and other folks for today and tomorrow.

Cleveland State University (CSU) didn't want the book but was particularly interested in any oral history about the Wood family's involvement with the Hermit Club. CSU is actively recording and transcribing oral histories about the Cleveland area. I couldn't offer any actual recording but I could offer excerpts from a longer oral history. They said yes, please submit.

Transcribed and annotated oral history 

Back in 1984, my husband had interviewed his father, Edgar James Wood (1903-1986) about his life, including his personal and professional association with the Hermit Club. The taped interview was long and mostly about immediate family, but there were key sections where Ed talked of the Hermit Club in detail.

With my husband, I wrote an annotated oral history based on the interview, explaining background so non-family members would be able to follow along. We inserted quotes from the transcribed oral history in indented paragraphs to show that they were drawn directly from my father-in-law's words. 

So, for example, on the first page we explained how Ed became interested in the piano, admired the Hermit Club, and ultimately was invited to join--unlike other musicians, who had to apply and cross their fingers that they would be chosen. Then we let direct quotes from the taped oral history tell that story in his own words.

Later on the same page, we introduced Ed's story of taking his future wife, Marian, on a first date to a musical evening hosted by a Hermit Club friend. Ed's quote reflects how vividly he recalled that pivotal evening, even more than 50 years later.

To go with the annotated oral history, I submitted a photo of Ed and his wife Marian, plus a close-up photo of the personal book inscription from the Hermit Club historian to Ed. Now these digital items, and Ed's story in his own words, are in CSU's collection, keeping Wood family history alive in an institution in his home town.

Who wants your family's oral history?

Many institutions collect oral histories and written memories, so I encourage you to do an online search for the city or state where ancestors lived plus the phrase "oral history." 

Whether you are the interviewee yourself or someone in your family tree tells of people and places from the past, these stories add to the historical and genealogical record. Save them now for the sake of future generations.

Please, share your family's history--now!

Translating Facts and Artifacts into Family History

Last week, one of my younger relatives asked about the World War II service of our ancestors. Little did he know that he would get answers, lots of answers!

For this young man and other descendants, I'm preparing a little photo book with snapshots, documents, and stories of our ancestors who served. The focus is on my immediate family: Dorothy Schwartz (maternal aunt, a WAC), Fred Shaw (maternal uncle, US Army), Harold Burk (Dad, US Army), Sidney Burk (paternal uncle, US Army Air Corps). Plus a paragraph about my Mom doing her part at home (see below). After all, it is Women's History Month, so Mom and her twin should both be included!

Facts into stories

Dad's honorable discharge documentation recorded the facts of what he did overseas, but no details or explanation (see at top). I had other documentation, from Fold3 and other sources, as well as from family files. I wanted to translate the facts into readable snippets about his role in WWII.

Doing an online search for his 3163d Signal Corps unit, I stumbled on an oral history from someone who served at the same time in the same unit! After reading a summary of the background provided by Alan B. Conlin Jr. in 2013, I was able to write a few lively sentences about the unit's vital wartime role, exactly where they were stationed, and when. 

This fleshed out the facts of Dad's wartime service into a brief story of how the Signal Corps installed and managed communications such as radio and teletype, extremely vital for transmitting troop orders and bombing instructions in the European Theater. 

Artifacts into stories

Meanwhile, my wonderful husband was intrigued by the wartime shoulder patch my father had saved all his life. After a bit of online searching, hubby discovered a detailed explanation of the symbolism on the Pritzker Military Museum website. Someone had donated the unit patch and the museum summarized what each element means, as you can see here. 

In the book I'm preparing, the photo of the patch will be accompanied by a rephrased version of what the patch represents. For sure I wouldn't have recognized that the twin thunderbolts represent V for Victory. Now descendants will know that part of the artifact's story, along with a clear photo of Dad's own patch (being passed down to heirs).

On the home front

Not to leave out my Mom, Daisy Schwartz, I included this image of her Air Warden service in 1943. She didn't serve in the armed forces, but she did work as deputy communications director for the New York City units. 

My book will include a brief description of the function of an air warden, so the document is "translated" into a story of my Mom doing something meaningful to support the war effort on the home front.

With younger folks in mind, these bits of research helped me turn bare facts into actual stories to capture my audience's attention and bring family history alive. 

"Translation" is this week's #52Ancestors theme from Amy Johnson Crow.