Discovering A Story

There are millions of stories to find, but knowing where to start can be hard. Here are a few ideas

Who to Interview

There are so many people you can ask.

Think of the oldest living relative you have. Great grandma, grandma, and aunt or uncle, mom, or even a sibling. Asking about their lives can be a great way to show you love and value them. Sometimes we may feel we know them, but we often experience different life phases at different times, and asking about a time in the past with your current perspective can lead to incredible insight (asking Mom what is was like to be a mom when you were a kid).

A little more distant relatives can provide a point of view that you wouldn't normally know. Try your grandparents cousin or a great aunt. Some of the most insightful stories about my Grandpa came from his cousins children, because the were less frequent interactions and led to stronger memories because they were more peculiar to them at the time.

Don't forget to ask your "not as old" or very close relatives like parents. It can be easy to take stories you have heard over and over for granted, or think, "I'll have plenty of other opportunities to ask them," but memories only get dimmer and you can never recall a story you have heard over and over with the same detail. Capture these cherished memories for those who won't have the privilege of knowing them.

Spark a Memory

The right questions can turn anyone into a great story teller. The challenge is to ask the right question, or activate someone's memory, keep them talking, and then capture what they say. Here are a few ideas.

• Try this article for some question ideas to ask a grandparent (or parent, aunt, uncle, or almost any relative) or just google "questions to ask your grandparents" for oodles of ideas. You can also try the prompts suggested for recording your own story.

• Show them something:

  • See if you can find any old pictures (albums, yearbooks, newspapers, etc.) Look at the pictures together and ask about the people, places, vehicles, or really any clue you see, especially the ones you aren't familiar with. You never know what story you will find.

  • If family is close, or you are able to visit them, you might ask if they have any keepsakes: medals, awards, collections, or anything else like this. Try asking about where or why the have them.

  • Take them to a familiar place. A walk down main street, somewhere they worked, or lived before, or even out the the barn. Ask about thing there, or what is was like then, or who they were with. Things like familiar places, sounds, sites, smells and surrounds have an incredible power to bring back long forgotten memories,

• Ask them about something you know about their life.

  • Ask an aunt or uncle about their childhood, then ask grandma her memory of the same events.

  • Do some research on family search or other genealogy sites. Ask them about the people in the tree and what they remember about them.

• Ask them when other family is around, or get them on a call together. Sometimes the best thing to spur memories are those who were there with you. (Sometimes I pull out my phone and turn on the recorder during family gatherings with no one knowing. You just can't the best stories told the same way when you put someone on the spot. The best stories I caught from my Grandpa before he passed where candid.)

Capturing a Story

A good audio recording can't be beat. I can capture every detail including the voice and delivery of the person you are talking to. And it frees you to focus on listening and continuing the conversation. It can be difficult but it is usually best not to try to steer the conversation.

If you want to convert the stories to written files (which can be very valuable for search, accuracy and publishabillty) you might consider a transcription app to get started, but be sure to review it against the audio for accuracy. You might also review with the person you recorded. As they review, additional memories may also come.

Discovering a Story

There are many community sources that might have some information about your ancestors. Sometimes their are entire stories but sometimes just clues that help you piece together a more complete story. You never know what you might find until you start looking!

• Newspapers

• Other Archives

• Town Histories, Stake, or Ward Histories