So many people keep meaning to interview their parents or grandparents -- and capture all those entertaining and enlightening family stories. But most people never get around to it, and put it off until it is too late and the storyteller has died or is too sick to tell stories anymore.
This was the case with me. My grandmother died 2 years ago at the age of 94. She was born in Portugal and immigrated twice – to Brazil then to the United States where she lived with my parents for 30 years -- and many stories to tell of her adventures. I was very close with my grandmother, who came to live with us when I was 12. She was a skilled, animated storyteller – as are many people of her generation.
Her stories were so vivid I believed that I would always remember them. To this day, I don’t understand why I did not take a tape recorder and just let her talk into it while she spun her yarns. I’m a professional writer, and yet, I never thought to do that. And when she died I realized that while I remember some of her stories to tell to my own children, as time goes on I am forgetting the delightful details, twists and turns she gave her stories.
Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence -- everyday a family elder dies, and along with them, their stories. In the weeks that followed after my grandmother’s death I realized something important: If, I, as a writer, had never thought to take down my grandmother’s personal history, how many more families are losing their precious stories – so valuable in keeping families – particularly our children -- rooted and grounded? That is why I became a personal historian. I know that by recording these family stories, we allow future generations to discover their ancestors’ personalities, experiences and wisdom. It is a record that ensures a life -- and experiences -- will never be forgotten.
A personal historian is a relatively new profession and the Association of Personal Historians (APH) www.personalhistorians.org has only existed since 1994. APH members are scattered throughout 42 states and four foreign countries to help people, businesses, families, communities and organizations preserve memories and life stories. We do this by audio-taping, videotaping and spreading the word about how important it is to preserve ones own or an elders’ history.
While writing down life stories is not a new concept, the tragedies of September 11 have led many Americans to re-evaluate what is important in their lives, and there has been a surge in interest in recording life stories – the lessons learned, moral values and experiences for future generations in a family. There have been many articles recently written about personal historians and what they do – in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Philadelphia Inquirer, Good Housekeeping, Money magazine.
But, what exactly is a life story? How is it done?
A life story is more than genealogy, more than the names, dates and places listed on a family tree. A life story -- or personal history -- tells the fascinating stories behind those facts and brings a family tree to life.
It can include:
A personal historian is usually also a journalist or skilled interviewer who knows how to ask open-ended questions and listen carefully. While many elders can be a bit self-conscious – and maybe even wary at first – about telling their life story (many elders were brought up in an era when it was considered vain to talk about themselves), personal historians are very good at making people feel at ease. Most people warm up very quickly to a listener who cares about recording these stories.
The process involves getting “facts” of a person’s birth and family history – sometimes from other family members. The fun part begins when the personal historian sits down and interviews the person – usually in his or her home – with a digital recorder. This is done over a period of 2 or 3 days, in two-hour sessions. The interviews are then transcribed, edited for clarity, placed in “chapters” according to themes in a person’s life, such as “Childhood,” “The War Years,” and “Married Life.” The book – which usually takes about 30-40 additional hours to transcribe, edit, revise and prepare -- can range between 100 to 200 pages. There are many creative ways the books can be presented, and a personal historian usually has many options including as simple as an attractive cloth-covered three-ring binder to a fully-bound leather book with color photographs.
Often a personal history is ordered as a gift – for a holiday or special birthday or anniversary. Frequently, family members pitch in to share the cost – which often begins at around $1,200 - $1,500. Additional books are usually ordered for an extra cost. In many cases several copies of the book are ordered and some donated as well to local or university libraries, which value them as unique community historical resources.
People are certainly becoming more aware of the value of recording a family’s personal history. After all, what greater legacy can a person leave their family than the stories of their lives? We have found that even the most “ordinary” life has “extraordinary” stories. We believe every one of us has an important story to tell. As one 92 year old woman we once interviewed said after we handed her the completed 120 page book on her life: “I always knew I had a book in me…now when is the movie coming out?”
