Oral Sources of History
Oral sources of history are an important part of genealogy research. Do not miss out on vital genealogical clues by overlooking your family's stories. Oral history is one of the most overlooked parts of genealogy research. It's harder to come by and requires more time. Often researchers do not even know where to seek out sources of oral history. Yet, oral sources of history from the older generations and collateral family members often contain the richest genealogy information. Information not found in formal records may only be found within a family's stories. Clues to a family's migration patterns or even a name change can be unearthed. Oral history can reveal previously unknown (to you) family members. Oral history can reveal the location of old family cemeteries - the ones where the children used to play hide and seek! Besides family history clues, learning about your family's stories helps to deepen the connection with past ancestors and ground younger generations in the family. Oral history is certainly not always accurate, and as long as we understand that fact, that's okay. It does often contain a nugget of truth. As genealogy researchers, it is our job to determine the truth of the stories from the fiction AND discern where those clues lead next in the search for your ancestors. Explore more about your family's stories and what they mean to your genealogy research in posts such as How To Preserve Your Family’s Oral History & Why You Should! and Use Social History in Genealogy Research – Telling Your Ancestors’ Stories.
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Photographs = Conversation Starters
Photographs are just fantastic conversation starters. I glean many of our family’s stories through the sharing of photographs. (Bonus: This works great with children and teenagers, too!) Three (3)questions I ask about a particular photograph I want to know more about: Who are the people in the photograph? What date or time period was the photograph taken? Why was the photograph was taken? Usually that is all I need to ask to prompt someone further about a photograph. The stories come in the conversation that follows. Here is an example: When I received this photograph from my grandmother’s home, I knew one thing. This was a photograph of my grandmother…
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How a 1950’s Photograph Led to a Family Reunion
Many of you my long time readers know how absolutely fortunate I was to receive a plethora of family photographs once I started my family research. Photographs arrived by way of large Rubbermaid boxes, snail mail, email and a lot of road trips. Identifying each of the individuals in the photographs has been a challenge. Frequently, I knew one or two of the individuals, but not the more distant relatives. For many of the photographs, the first step was to determine if the photo was of ancestors or their friends. This photograph of my great great grandmother Clara Haley was posted early in my blog’s history (back when Are You My…
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The Most Powerful Tool in Your Genealogy Toolbox
This post contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here. A cup of coffee is the most powerful tool in your genealogy toolbox. No, that coffee is NOT to help you stay awake while you read 1820 tax records line by line. Nor is it for those late night research sessions when you were really “just doing a quick look-up”. [It can help, though. 🙂 ] Let me explain. The Most Powerful Tool in Your Genealogy Toolbox When I began researching my family’s genealogy, much of what I learned at first came from great conversations with older members of my family over a cup of coffee. Now, a number…
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Tuesday Tips – Oral History in the Sad Times
No one can argue that family gatherings are a great place – perhaps the best place – to collect family stories and history. But what about when that family gathering is a sad occasion? A funeral. My family recently said good-bye to the eldest member of our family. Anita Carr Talbott passed away last month at the age of 96. While this branch of my family tree is small in numbers, the stories are numerous. This occasion got me thinking….how does one collect family history during a family’s time of loss? Should a family historian even attempt to learn some of the family’s story during this time? Yes, if done…
