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Family History for Kids

Learning how to encourage storytelling from older relatives is an art.

Oral Histories

Fieldworker David Taylor interviews Anne Murphy about c. 1918 photo of workers and managers at Newberger's Towel Factory, Paterson.
Martha Cooper, Photographer. Fieldworker David Taylor interviews Anne Murphy about c. 1918 photo of workers and managers at Newberger's Towel Factory, Paterson.. 1994. Working in Paterson Project Collection. American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Whenever you visit an older relative, ask them if you can record your conversation. Then ask them some questions about their lives. You can use a smart phone or a digital recorder to capture their stories, which you may want to transcribe and share later.

You can use online collections of oral histories to learn about the process, or to learn about what your relatives' lives were like in the past. Soldiers who served in the same wars, people who experienced slavery, or stories about a community can give you insight into life in the past, and the things your relatives experienced.

The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.