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  1. #21
    Knowledgeable and helpful
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Paeroa, New Zealand
    Posts
    651

    Default

    Hi Elaine

    I think your list is quite comprehensive but here's a couple more you may consider:

    (a) holidays (at the seaside, in the country) and mode of travel (eg steam train, charabanc(?))
    (b) cost of everyday things (comics, bread, milk etc).

    One of my jobs entailed travel throughout Asia and I've been writing up the various amusing episodes of the trips. (For example, cows walking along the main roads of Delhi; mums, dads, children and animals all on a 50cc moped).

    When my wife & I travelled back to England with the children we made them keep 'diaries' and collect postcards and souvenir brochures of places they visited. They had to take them to school on their return to show teachers and friends - it is fascinating re-reading the material of primary school age children.

    An interesting thread that you started

    regards
    David

  2. #22
    Ed Bradford
    Guest

    Default My life story

    It is not my intention to write an autobiography. I feel that I’m well respected by family and the community but I really don’t know how I’m truly perceived. I’ll leave the telling my story for future generations. However, I will leave them with the facts about my life which will make their research easier. Those facts are where I’ve lived and what I’ve done. Their research should be easy because some of who I am is a matter of public record having served in an elected office. Also, some of who I am is contained in the books I’ve written of which some are published and some not.

    Years ago when I asked my father about his life, he could think of very little to tell me. When I asked my aunt about my father, she told me volumes about him all from a sister’s point of view. Unfortunately, my grand parents passed away before I got really interested in researching the family. I’m sure they could have also told me volumes about my father as well. My father is not unique. I find that a person usually has difficulty talking about them self. If you want to really find out about someone ask someone close to them.

    I have ancestors that have walked this earth and never left a footprint. Other ancestors have left libraries full of information. Compiling a family history has been both easy and a challenge depending on the ancestor. I intend to make my story easy to tell. I hope that they’ll be kind.

    ..................Ed

  3. #23

    Default Writing your life story

    I am glad this thread has been resurrect- as we all need to be reminded from time to time to record our lives, if not for the benefit of posterity, but as part of the fight against advancing years:-)

    One of the problems most of us family historians have is that there are very few records of the lives of ordinary folk, and we need to redress that. I know that there are various oral history projects around, but the results of these are not always freely available, and that will not necessarily change in future years.

    Whilst there is the need to "keep it interesting" nonetheless we need to record the facts. As a variation on the "they didnt have computers et al when I was young " perhaps we should try to remember what we did have when we were young that no longer exists. Try to explain to an under ten year old why telephoning is called "dialing"- phones dont have dials do they ?

    I started many years ago starting an alphabetical list- A for apple and so on- and then listed all the things that we no longer had. Under Apples for instance I had- Cox's Orange Pippins, Beauty of Bath, etc.

    Try it for yourself.

    Cheers..Ed

  4. #24
    Gambrill
    Guest

    Default

    One way to jog the memory, is to look at your old family photos.

    When you find one of interest, write about what you see in the photo and include the photo with the text ..... this makes it more interesting for the younger readers.

    I have a photo of my childhood, playing with some toys on the livingroom floor. I started by describing memories of the toys and so on. Then I noticed other background items in the photo, and they brought back other interesting memories ....

    "the radio" and how central that was to daily life - children had to be quiet when the BBC news was on; listing to "Journey into Space" every week with my dad,
    "the coal fire" and the daily chores of bringing in the coal, the effort of starting a fire with damp coal; toasting crumpets; chimney fires!
    ..and so on. There is so much interesting background stuff in everyday snapshots of family.

    Give it a try.
    John Gambrill

  5. #25

    Default

    How do you write about the hours you spent reading the posts on here, include a snap shot of the forum? I think this is my fourth visit today.

  6. #26
    Mutley
    Guest

    Default

    How do you write about the hours you spent reading the posts on here, include a snap shot of the forum? I think this is my fourth visit today.
    Ahh Bless!!!



  7. #27
    bmissen
    Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ElaineMaul View Post
    Hi Christine,

    I think you've mis-read my post (or I wasn't very clear) ...... I was also asking for a list of bullet-point guidelines so things don't get missed!

    When my mum-in-law first talked about doing it, the obvious things were:
    • early childhood memories,
    • school days
    • employment
    • entertainment/pastimes (she used to be a very good swimmer and athlete)
    • her experiences during the war
    • courting/marriage
    • becoming a parent
    But there's lots of other possible things like:
    • what were the shops like?
    • the houses of the time; furnishings, everyday home life, meals etc
    • remembrances of her parents/family
    • her impressions of important historical events; the Depression, the Queens' coronation (sure there must be others?)
    • games she used to play as a child
    • how did they celebrate Christmas, Easter
    • any traditions around weddings, new babies, death
    And I'm sure others could add to this.......??
    Perhaps we could start a list of our own?

    Elaine
    great list, elaine!

    i was also thinking along the lines of old family stories passed down from gen to gen... and asking whether or not the person being interviewed has any knowledge of the meaning or history of the family surname...

    has anyone else got any ideas to add to this?


    b.

  8. #28
    lightgirl54
    Guest

    Default family stories

    As someone who has interviewed probably 100 elders, I would say that you start with the stories they tell and go from there. I have found that when they repeat the same story over and over it is because it had significance to them...and the stories they tell say a lot about the person you are interviewing! What we think we want to know may not be what they wish to tell....but in the telling, it helps show you the way that they define their life. Expanding outward from the stories they automatically tell has been my most successful approach. Having them color in the page so to speak of the event....what people wore, the smells, the sights, the emotion. If you truly want to capture the essence of the person, you have to stick to their plan at first!

    Also, take a recording device. I then burn this to DVD for future generations to HEAR the person telling their story. What i wouldn't give to hear my father's voice once more!

    Lightgirl54

  9. #29
    Summer
    Guest

    Smile Inspiration

    This thread has inspired me to interview my Gran! She's had a simple life (or has she? ), yet her in her life she's experienced interesting times and could give insights into such things as post WW2 England (as an Aussie visitor), the Land Army in Australia, farming life in the Dandenongs (stone fruit, etc) compared to dry land farming in the Mallee in North West Victoria (droughts, etc), a war-torn father (WW1 & 2 - Gallipoli/France/Kokoda), a MIA RAAF brother, as well as the day-to-day of the times. That would be great info to have not only for me but for future gens.

    Have never given a lot of thought to recording MY history. But I guess my life would be interesting to future generations considering I met my husband after 5 years of writing letters as pen-pals, the cross cultural differences (Australian, Irish), life in different countries, etc. I must preserve those letters, even if some are embarrassing teenager themed!
    Cheers,
    Summer.

  10. #30
    Famous for offering help & advice
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Norfolk
    Posts
    1,359

    Default

    Hi

    I have written up the life stories of several of my ancestors as a keepsafe for future generations, telling about brickwalls that I have knocked down, theories I have proven etc.

    Ben

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