Project Ideas to Get You Started!

Growing up with Grandfather: Preserving family memories
Interviews with family members are an invaluable tool for any genealogist. Start with the oldest living relatives, followed by family members who are considered "story keepers." These interviews may or may not help you to determine specific names and dates, but can provide insights into places, family dynamics and personalities.

Then and Now: Community stories
The transformation of specific towns, communities and neighborhoods can be traced through a focused project. Long-time residents can be interviewed about community life, business, politics, or architecture.

Tales of Transformation: Events that changed lives
Rather than focusing on the entire story of each individual's life, a project might focus on a pivotal event or time period. A variety of people who may have participated in or simply observed or lived through an event could be interviewed to discover multiple perspectives. Through careful background research and unbiased interpretation, such a project can potentially result in a new, balanced and comprehensive understanding of the event.

Finding Folkways: Documenting work, craft, art and culture
Too often, the details of everyday life and work are lost to time. Oral history can be used to document folklife, art and culture in a variety of ways. Community and cultural events can be documented. High-quality recordings can preserve unique musical and oral presentations (such as church services). Individual artists and craftspeople can be interviewed and asked to explain and demonstrate (preferable using video) their craft, and how they learned it. Even the simple tasks and practices of daily life such as food preparation, farm/factory work, and leisure activities can be documented before they fade into memory.

Great Men (and Women) and Ordinary People
Uncover the whole story surrounding great people and places by not only seeking out the famous, powerful and wealthy, but those who knew them. Family members, employees, colleagues and even rivals can offer a balanced perspective and new insights into the lives of individuals whose lives may be well-documented in public record.