When deciding on a method to record a family member’s memories, think about the scope of the project. Our oldest elders now have been through major historic times, from the Depression to World War II to the development of television and computers and other great technological advances. There may be an immigration to talk about. What a lifetime of stories to tell! If you’re not up for writing a big book, you’d better whittle down the number of questions to ask them.
For you with not so much time (that would be most of us) who have grandparents or great-grandparents with so much to tell, you’ll want to focus on certain major points of their lives. Always include the basics of birth, parents and siblings, general childhood, marriage and birth of their own children. Consider also how talkative and forthcoming your subject person is about their life. From there, you decide how much time and effort you can spend on the project and what your talents are in this area. Those considerations will help you choose the recording method to pursue.
Linda Austin
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