123ArticleOnline Logo
Welcome to 123ArticleOnline.com!
ALL >> Family >> View Article

13 Steps To Preserve Your Family History

Profile Picture
By Author: LeAnn R. Ralph
Total Articles: 26
Comment this article
Facebook ShareTwitter ShareGoogle+ ShareTwitter Share


Although the phrase, "everybody has a story to tell" may sound like a cliche, it's true.
And after working as a newspaper reporter for nine years, I know that everyone does, indeed, have a story to tell, including your family members.
Think about it.
Do your grandmother and grandfather — mother and father — aunts and uncles — tell stories about the "good old days?"
Do they talk about going to school? The fun they had with friends? Family celebrations and holidays? Picnics on the Fourth of July? Snow that was so deep it covered fences? Pets that were so smart they belonged in the Guinness Book of World Records? Making ice cream? Their parents? Their grandparents?
Have you wanted to write down those stories to share them with other family members and to preserve them for generations to come but don't how to go about it?
Guess what? You don't need "literary talent," special training or special equipment. All you need to preserve those stories is a list of people to interview, a willingness to listen, a set of questions to ask, a tape recorder and a computer (or even a typewriter ...
... would work!).
Here are the steps for gathering and writing your family stories:
1. Decide which people you would like to interview and make a list.
2. Ask for permission to conduct an interview.
3. Set a formal date and time for the interview.
4. Provide a list of questions several days or weeks before the interview.
5. Focus on a single subject or event in each list of questions.
6. Use the who, what, where, when, how, and why strategy when formulating your questions.
7. Ask open-ended questions and not yes or no or one word answer questions.
8. Use a tape recorder to record the interview.
9. Chat about something else for a while if the person you are interviewing seems nervous at the prospect of being tape-recorded.
10. Transcribe the tape and write up your notes after you have finished the interview.
11. Edit the manuscript.
12. Spread out your interviews.
13. Print the stories from your computer or publish them in another way.
*Preserve Your Family History* includes step-by-step instructions for conducting interviews as well as 30 sets of questions (more than 400 questions in all) on 30 different topics that you can print out to use "as is" or that you can use to generate your own questions. To see the table of contents and several sets of sample questions visit — http://www.ruralroute2.com/family_history.html
*Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Writing Oral Histories)* (66 pages; $7.95) is available from http://www.booklocker.com/books/1545.html
***********************
From the e-book: Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Writing Oral Histories) (66 pages; April 2004; $7.95) available at — http://www.booklocker.com/books/1545.html
To see the table of contents and several sets of sample questions visit — http://www.ruralroute2.com/family_history.html
© LeAnn R. Ralph 2004

LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the book, *Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm)* (trade paperback; August 2003). For more information, visit http://ruralroute2.com
bigpuines@ruralroute2.com

Total Views: 236Word Count: 538See All articles From Author

Add Comment

Family Articles

1. Experience Quality And Flexibility With Custom T-shirts And Vinyl T-shirt Printing At 3v Printing Store
Author: Steve Johnson

2. Finding Balance: Overcoming Guilt As A Working Mother
Author: ImPerfect

3. Where To Get An Esa Letter In New York: Trusted Sources And Tips
Author: Justin Foley

4. The Bright Side Resorts
Author: Bright Side Resorts

5. Why Would You Require Self Storage Services?
Author: Roxanne Ferdinands

6. Caring For Your Latex Mattress In Different Climates
Author: Andrew Philips

7. The Crucial Role Of Housemaids In Childcare In Singapore
Author: Eazymaid Pte Ltd

8. The Impact Of Paternity Leave On Child Development: Why Father’s Time Matters
Author: Im Perfect by Urveez

9. Navigating Egg Donation - The Everie Difference
Author: Everie Egg Bank

10. Có Nên Mua Máy Hút ẩm Kosmen Km-12n Giá Hơn 3 Triệu
Author: BPS Việt Nam

11. Event Management Company In Siliguri: Akk Wedding Planner
Author: amit

12. How Much Is A Dishwasher Installation?
Author: Tom D'Agostino

13. Why Do I Need To Review My Life Insurance Annually?
Author: Joffry Daniel

14. Effects Of Mattress Material On Body Pressure Profiles In Different Sleeping Postures
Author: Andrew Philips

15. Powerful Tips To Get Love Problem Solution
Author: Pandit Kapil Sharma

Login To Account
Login Email:
Password:
Forgot Password?
New User?
Sign Up Newsletter
Email Address: