Most of us involved in researching our family tree have interviewed at least a relative or two. Asked questions about their parents, grandparents, school life and wedding day. Learned some interesting stories that we've never heard before. But what about those relatives who are no longer with us? Is there a chance anyone ever interviewed them? You might be surprised. For several client projects I've worked on I was able to locate an oral history of a close relative online. Maybe not the direct line relative I was looking for - but an uncle, a cousin, a brother.... Their stories gave me great insight into the family, especially into questions I might not have otherwise found the answer too, such as why their family immigrated or why they chose a particular occupation.
There are hundreds of thousands of oral histories available online, in digital, audio or transcribed formats, that anyone researching their family tree should make time to search. Even if you can't locate an oral history for your ancestor or even a close relative, you can learn a lot from the recorded histories of their contemporaries - people from the same community, people with the same type of job, people from the same ethnic background, and even people who lived through the same type of experiences (war, slavery, internment, etc.). Search through the oral family histories on these great sites and you might be surprised what you can find!
Amen! I found an interview of my great-grandfather from the 1930s – fascinating stuff!
There are many interviews that were done by the WPS (Works Progress Administration) in the 1930′s. They’re on the Library of Congress website under the American Life Histories: Federal Writer’s Project.
http://rs6.loc.gov/wpaintro/wpahome.html