Collecting Oral Histories

People often listen to others talking about their lived experiences, but how can we, as family historians, harness that potential, and effectively use it to add context and colour to our own family history research?  Oral history is one way of capturing some of these amazing stories. It enables us to preserve, share and learn from them; it is a rewarding way to understand the past lives of our ancestors. However, taking an oral history is much more than simply pressing record and having a chat. People’s stories are valuable, personal, unique, and sometimes exceptional; they need to be respected.  As an interviewer you need to concentrate and actively listen in order to understand and learn from the narrator’s accounts of their lives, lives which are often ones we do not know or fully comprehend. 

Oral history can be used as a way of discovering and rooting out unique information. For instance, you can find out details that have not been included in other sources. Talking with people gives you the opportunity to find out more and, regardless of any previous sources, allows you to approach the subject from a different perspective. No historical record, no matter how comprehensive the account, can describe the human experience. Different people comprehend a situation in different ways, and it is only because of oral history that the family historian can fully appreciate just how these stories can be woven into the broader tapestry of a family story.

Reflecting and documenting a lived experience is a totally different kind of history from those of official records and papers. It is important to remember than nobody has a perfect memory and misremembering, exaggeration, prejudice, and mistruths can be commonplace. The sequence of events can be blurred or contradictory, exact details are not always recalled, so where you can, check things such as dates and places. But do tread carefully! There may well be issues within a family that people may not know, may not want to know or are keeping secret from others. The narrator may not want to share certain matters and might deny them altogether. As an oral historian you need to make a judgment as to what you regard as reliable or not. 

Listening to people we know is easier than listening to a stranger. It's different too. You could be more empathic towards family members or friends, know their way of speaking and body language, or already think you know some of the story. There is, however,  a danger here in that you may become less careful as a listener; there may be more restraint in discussing certain family issues due to your closeness, so perhaps focus on less emotive topics to start with. For many, reflecting on facets of their past that gave them pride and happiness can be a trigger to share, as well as reflect on things that they might have forgotten.

Oral history involves recording a story, which requires setting up a meeting, asking questions and listening to the answer. There is a lot to consider - the equipment you use, the place you are meeting and the questions or outcome you require. Make sure you are familiar with the technology you’re using; it’s a good idea to practise first! Choose a quiet meeting place where all parties are comfortable; trying to speak and listen in a crowed venue such as a café can be distracting. Spend some time talking in general before you start recording; this will help put people at ease. At the start of each recording, state the name of the narrator and the date of the interview.

Ask ‘open questions’, questions that require more than one simple answer.  Let your narrator tell you what is interesting about their story and begin with relatively general questions. If there are specific things you want to know about, it is a good idea to make a note of them prior to the interview, but remember to keep that list to hand. Bear in mind it is important to balance out what you want to ask against what your narrator wants to talk about - it is their story after all. Above all, remember this is not an interrogation; you are not trying to catch anyone out!  LISTENING is the key and it is important that the narrator feels you are interested in what they have to say. Give them time to think and answer; if there are pauses, don’t be tempted to jump in and fill the silence.  Your body language and facial expressions can help and encourage, but also intimidate, so be aware of that. An oral history is a conversation; don’t just fire questions but try and respond to the answers. Before the interview it may be a good idea to tell the narrator what you are hoping to cover and, in that way, they are somewhat prepared.

It's important to reiterate that the narrator won’t remember everything, and they may get details wrong, exaggerate or omit things. Oral history is not an impartial eyewitness account; people are looking back on what they did, what happened around them, what they were thinking, and how others reacted or were perceived to react at the time.

The most important thing is that the narrator understands why you are talking to them, the project involved, what will happen, and their rights.  This is referred to as informed consent and it is your most important responsibility. For most adults, this is a straightforward process and doesn’t need to be scary! In the links below you can find more information on informed consent and other hints and tips when considering an oral history project.

PLEASE NOTE: Oral histories with vulnerable individuals such as under-18s, the very elderly, those with learning disabilities or physical disabilities...these should not be undertaken without specialist training.

People’s stories are priceless and can open doors on hitherto unknown or recorded history.

Listen, listen carefully, and be ready to learn.

Useful links:

The Oral History Society offers training, guidance and a community for oral historians, as well as some resources online.

The British Library Sounds Collection has made many recordings available online.

The Oral History Association, based in the USA, offers a wealth of ideas and resources. This list of web-based guides on doing oral history is a great place to start.

NHS at 70: The Story of our Lives is a major oral history project in the UK. Read about how this project has been affected and the alternatives they have found here.

https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/family-history-2/ emphasises how rewarding it can be to build a connection to our family and its past.