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COLLECTING FAMILY STORIES--PART 2

© Dorothy Hill

The old lady and I stared at each other across the living room for what seemed like ages. I was at her home to interview her for background material about her church and community. The church was set to celebrate its centennial in a few months and I was researching its history for a slide show. What old church records that I was able to locate gave me names and dates but I wanted more. I was looking for something that I just couldn't put my hands on.

Her family had played an important part in the establishment of the church and I wanted to know what she knew about her ancestors. I asked questions but got little response. She didn't know anything, was what she had told me in the beginning, and I was now beginning to believe her.

I decided there was nothing else to be achieved by continuing so I made plans to leave. She had cake and tea and asked if I would like some. I started to decline but changed my mind. Even though she had been no help, I wanted to be polite. I put aside my tape recorder and notes and followed her into the kitchen. As we sat at the table and ate cake and talked about anything that popped into our heads, the lady who had repeatedly said she knew nothing suddenly started remembering things that she had long since forgotten. I quickly retrieved my tape recorder and began taping our conversation. I asked many of the same questions that I had asked before, but now she had answers.

I learned several things from that interview that I want to share with you as I get ready to interview my father.

1. PRIME THE PUMP. In the old days before running water, people sometimes needed to pour water into a pump to get it to operate. People are a lot like those old pumps. They sometimes need priming. If possible provide the person with a list of the questions a few days before the interview. It doesn't have to be a complete list. Just enough to get them thinking about the period of time you are going to be talking about.

2. DON'T STAY TILL THE COWS COME HOME. Since I plan to cover quite a few topics with my father, my interview with him will be broken down into several small sessions. He will appreciate the attention, but he will especially appreciate my not wearing him out. When interviewing an older relative, keep in mind the time. A lengthy interview can tire out the person being interviewed as well as the one doing it.