In the most recent Relatively Speaking newsletter, titled Genealogy in July October 2022, the main article focused on oral history. The article covered examples of successful oral history accounts and recommendations for getting started. This article will expand on the topic with online resources available for researching an effective oral history interview.
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Oral history Continued…
October 2022 | By Shannan
In the most recent Relatively Speaking Newsletter, titled Genealogy in July, the main article focused on oral history. The article covered examples of successful oral history accounts and recommendations for getting started.
This article will expand on the topic with online resources available for researching an effective oral history interview.
This website is an expansive free aggregate of resources to start your search into any Genealogy/ Local History topic. Cyndi’s List has a page dedicated to Oral History & Interviews, which covers links to general resources, interview questions, various oral history collections, and more. There is also a section on books, including Like It Was: a Complete Guide to Writing Oral History and Doing Oral History which are available in our consortium.
The Family Tree website offers free online articles and podcasts as well as print magazines. On the topic of oral history, Family Tree offers an article titled “Resources for Oral History Interview,” which lists various online and print resources. They have additional relevant articles on the website such as “Oral History Interview Supply Packing List,” which highlights the importance of bringing items like a water bottle, magnifying glasses, and photocopies of documents/photos. If you would like to review the Family Tree Magazines, we have copies for checkout available at the library.
Smithsonian Institution Archives
The Smithsonian Institution has an Oral History section on their website that reviews all the steps involved with an oral history interview. From the best steps to prepare for the interview to tips after the interview is complete. These steps highlight the importance of the 5 R’s of oral history: Research, Rapport, Restraint, Retreat, Review, and Respect.
Our quaker ancestors: finding them in quaker records
By Berry Ellen
Our Quaker ancestors set out to acquaint the researcher with the types of Quaker records that are available, the location of the records and the proper and effective use of those records. In the most recent secondedition, the book includes a new section devoted to websites, as well as a new bibliography of online resources. — Amazon description
Wheeling through the years: An oral history of Wheeling
By Wheeling Historical Society
At ITPLD, we have both reference and circulating copies of the Wheeling Through the Years: An Oral History of Wheeling. This book was created by the Wheeling Historical Society in 1987. As stated by the Wheeling Historical Society, the book covers “chapters on growing up in Old Wheeling, school days, girl scouts, homesteading, […] farmers, Wheeling Train Station, Crane farms, Denoyer farm, Milwaukee Avenue, early planes and airports, prohibition, World War II, organizations, churches, and much more. Illustrated with photographs from the 1700’s through the 1980’s.” For more information, please visit the Wheeling Historical Society page dedicated to the book.
Happy Halloween
If you are an individual who enjoys Halloween and/or has always been curious about the history of Halloween, the Library of Congress has a fascinating article titled “The Origins of Halloween Traditions.” It covers the reasons for common Halloween traditions like jack-o’-lanterns, costumes, candy, bobbing for apples, trick or treating and more.