Interviewing relatives is key to uncovering family history
It is impossible to reconstruct a family tree without the main source of information – the people themselves. Interviews with relatives have long been an important element of genealogical research, allowing not only to collect basic information, but also to recreate family ties, fill the history with vivid details and create a real family tree. However, a professional approach plays a key role here – interviewing should be systematic, and the information obtained should be compared with archival sources.
From conversation to archival search
Talking to elderly relatives is not just one session of communication, but a whole process that includes collecting information, analyzing it, verifying it, and further work with archival data. Sometimes such interviews can be used as the basis for an independent study, especially if someone in the family remembers their history well.
Usually we start by talking to relatives in order to record their memories, and then we refine the data with the help of archives. Experience suggests that you should not postpone the interview – sometimes, while the customer is making a decision, the older generation leaves, taking invaluable information with them. That’s why you should never postpone the interview – it should be the first step in the research.
Genealogical and biographical interviews
There are two types of interviews – genealogical and biographical. The first allows you to compile your family tree by key milestones: dates of births, marriages, children, deaths, occupation, and key family movements. The main focus is on family structure, as well as the collection of photographs and documents. The work requires analyzing information and establishing accurate family ties.
A biographical interview is a much more in-depth process. It allows you not just to record facts, but also to convey emotions, life events, and a person’s character. Where did he go to school? What was his social circle? How did he survive historical upheavals? What was he like in everyday life? What did he tell his children and grandchildren? Such memories form the basis of memoirs, personal essays or entire family chronicles. At the same time, we work with photographs and documents – they are sorted, scanned and signed, creating a unique visual series.
Often during the conversation, unexpected details surface: forgotten names, nicknames, events, even the surnames of distant relatives, which turn out to be the key to further research.
Why shouldn’t you conduct interviews on your own?
Anyone can take a tape recorder and record a conversation with a grandparent. However, this requires time, knowledge and methodology. The conversation must be structured, the questions must be correct. And most importantly – you need to understand how to analyze the information received. Not all relatives are ready to spend hours telling stories about the past, and many people find it easier to talk to an outside specialist than to their relatives.
The Am haZikaron Institute’s experts conduct interviews in audio and video format, carefully transcribe the recordings, and transmit them to analysts and editors. These recordings can be used to create family movies and books. Digitized conversations with your grandparents will remain forever. It’s more than just research – it’s a family memory that will live on for centuries to come.