Whether you currently have an abundance of free time or have to squeeze the minutes between grocery shopping and cooking, now’s a great time to contact your older relatives and cousins. During covid-19 social distancing, they’ll be at home and more available to chat. If they live in assisted living or nursing homes, they’ll be starving for social contact.
If your relative is living in a retirement community or nursing home, call the office first, to see what the situation is in the facility or community. Some will be dealing with covid-19, and the residents may be unavailable for conversation. In others, the facility may be anxious to help their residents interact with others. A few are even providing tablets to residents to enhance their feeling of connection when talking with family and friends.
The age of your relative and their familiarity with tech will indicate how to proceed. For older persons, start with a phone call or email. If you email, let them know you’d like to call and chat about their lives and family members. Find out which communication format they prefer and whether they’re familiar with video apps such as Skype, WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, etc. You’d be surprised what a grandparent has learned from their grandchildren!
You might even ask if they’ll allow you to record the conversation. In the late 1960s, my paternal grandfather recorded himself relaying stories of his childhood and what family stories he could remember. Later, my mother recorded her father in an oral interview. We never recorded either of my grandmothers, and I regret that oversight. I would love to hear their voices now!
If you do wish to record a conversation, be sure to familiarize yourself with the process for your phone or the app you choose to use. You don’t want to be fumbling with technology while you’re interviewing your relative.
Above all, focus on just a few questions. Keep your conversation short so you don’t exhaust your relative, especially if they are older. Be sure to transcribe your notes or recording when you are through – don’t wait! Those notes may become critical clues in later research, or a precious memory of a loved one.
Resources for Conducting Oral History Interviews
Guidelines and Tips:
https://www.library.ucla.edu/sites/default/files/UCLA-COHR_Interviewing-Family-Members.pdf
https://www.familytreemagazine.com/premium/oral-history-interviewing-tips/
Example Questions and General Resources:
https://www.genealogy.com/articles/research/70_tipsoral.html