Oral History is Vital in Genealogy
Marriage, birth and death records play an important role in documenting our family history. However, everything concerning our families is not written down. For many communities, cultures and families the stories are handed down by word of mouth. Oral history can play a vital role in finding your families and answering those questions not covered in official documents.
The ideal people to begin with are the elders. Record the information in some manner. If they agree, record them on your phone or other device. Years from now it may be the only recording the family can enjoy. If you’re unable to meet in person, try recording their voice over the phone. Either of these options will allow you to go back and review exactly what they said, not what you think they said. If you don’t have any way to record them on video or audio, please take notes while they are speaking. Always make note of the date of these conversations.
Please be respectful to the elders. Don’t interrupt or tell them they are wrong. There are many sides to every story and each person remembers things in their own way. Uncle John might remember grandma was nice. Aunt Mary might remember grandma was mean. They are both right. Grandma could have been nice to Uncle John but mean to Aunt Mary. Allow them to tell their own story in their own words. Somewhere in the middle of both stories, the truth will be found. Another great source of oral history would be the best friends, neighbors, church members, in-laws or former spouses of your family members. These people spent years in, near and around your family. They know far more than you realize.
Some of your elders may be hesitant to answer questions. Start with easy questions about their childhood, where they attended church or school before going deeper. Once they start talking about something, let them finish the line of thought. It’s amazing what you can learn if you just listen. My aunt, Oletha Shaw Collins, told long stories. Just when I thought the story was going nowhere, she would give me priceless information. You can also show photos of people to help jog their memories If you sense there is something they just don’t want to discuss, drop it. They might want to discuss it at a later date, but don’t push or they may shut down completely and you won’t get the valuable information you need.
Another great group of people to speak with are your siblings and cousins. You may think they couldn’t possibly know more than you, but you would be wrong. One of your siblings or cousins may have taken care of your parents or grandparents and spent more time talking with them about the family. Never assume your siblings or cousins don’t know the answers just because you don’t know the answer.
I’ve been blessed to have kind elders who’ve helped me with my research. Mr. J. C. Williams in Marlin is one of the few people who still remembers my parents and grandparents. I love speaking with him because we talk about people and events from the past. Mr. Yancie Taylor Jr. was born in Lott and passed away last year in Oakland, California at the age of 101. He shared detailed stories and histories of our family members from the China Grove, Tomlinson Hill area. His mind and memories were sharp right until the end. The late C. L. Moore recalled his grandmother, Priscilla Shaw Moore and my great-grandfather, Harvey Shaw were siblings. He also told me they had two brothers, Jackson Shaw and Friday Shaw. This oral history along with DNA helped me connect our family ties.
Yes, sometimes people may get their facts mixed up or confuse one person with another. That’s why you verify their stories with census, birth, death, marriage and military records. Yes, sometimes they can’t remember things on the first visit. That’s why you wait a few weeks and check back with them. It can take some time for them to filter through 70, 80 or 90 years of memories. I believe God allows our elders to stay here long enough to share their knowledge with someone in the family. Is there an elder waiting for you to ask about the family? Now is the time.
We are searching for descendants of the 435 Freedmen from South Carolina. If you think you may be a descendant, please contact me. Sharon.kay@sbcglobal.net