Fri 11 Sep 2009
Posted by Trish under Capturing stories, Oral History, Personal Stories, Reminiscence
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The National September 11 Memorial and Museum is collecting history by archiving stories from September 11, 2001. Everyone has a story from that day. Everyone was touched in some way, no matter where in the world they were. Add your story and make history.
Make History! Share your 9/11 story
Thu 30 Jul 2009
Posted by Trish under Capturing stories, Legacy, Oral History, Personal Stories, Reminiscence, The past is now
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Has the Mutual of Omaha Aha Tour come to your hometown yet? Check out their tour schedule to see if the van is going to be near you. They are going around the country recording people’s aha moments. Do you have one you’d like to share?
Here’s their definition of an aha moment: ” a moment of clarity, a defining moment when you gain real wisdom – wisdom you use to change your life.”
You don’t even have to record your moment in their van. You can record it at home and simply upload it to their site. Join hundreds of others and share your wisdom with the world.
Sat 18 Jul 2009
Posted by Trish under Capturing stories, History and Genealogy, Legacy, Personal Stories
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Henry Allingham, the world’s oldest man, died yesterday at the age of 113. He was the last surviving original member of the Royal Air Force and he fought – and survived – the First World War. When he was over 100 years ago, he started to talk to groups, the press about his generation and the huge losses they suffered in The Great War. He wanted to remind people about the true cost of war and to make sure that his “pals” were not forgotten.
A link to Henry’s autobiography
Mon 15 Jun 2009
Posted by Trish under Capturing stories, Oral History, Personal Stories
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ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) –” I’ll never forget holding World War II medic Tony Acevedo in my arms. He wept and convulsed for more than 10 minutes, his body constricting and tightening in a way I’d never seen before. “I’m sorry,” he said, repeating, “I’m sorry. I want to say more, but I can’t.”
This is written by Wayne Drash, a correspondent with CNN, writing about American POW’s who were held at a slave labor camp, in Germany, known as Berga an der Elster. A slave labor camp that, until last week, had never been recognized as such by the Army.
He ends his report with this: “My final message is to my generation and the next. Don’t be so quick to shove grandpa and grandma into a nursing home. Sit down with them. Listen to them. Hear their stories. The greatest generation. They’re cut from a different cloth and we’re losing them too fast.”
Read the full story here.
Mon 8 Jun 2009
Posted by Trish under Capturing stories, Oral History, Personal Stories, Your family's story
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It’s Father’s Day next week. What a perfect time to sit down and ask your dad….what? What are the things that you would need or would want to know if he wasn’t around? Do you know why he lives where he does? Do you know how he met your mother? Do you know what he was called when he was a kid?
There are so many different guides that give you questions to ask in an interview. But one of the best is from StoryCorps, the NPR sponsored radio show that records people talking about their lives. You can download their list of great interview questions from their website. Dad & his two girls
Take your dad to a quiet room, set up a camera or a tape recorder and start. It doesn’t even need to be all about him. My favorite question is what is your favorite memory of me? My dad told me many times about his favorite memory of me when I was 3 years old. We were in a hotel room in Florida and I was feeling sick. He was sitting with me trying to feed me chicken noodle soup. I looked at him and said “Hello cuckoo-face.” A fairly average moment, but he loved it. And he savored it enough to tell me about it years later.
Start your own conversation.
Tue 2 Jun 2009
Posted by Trish under Capturing stories, History and Genealogy, Oral History, Personal Stories, Reminiscence, Your family's story
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My Words Are Gonna Linger
Do you have a story to tell? Have you thought about writing it down but talked yourself out of it? “No one would want to hear my story.” Not true! Maybe you just need some help to get started.
I would recommend you pick up a copy of “My Words Are Gonna Linger – The Art of Personal History” the anthology of life stories put together by the Association of Personal Historians (of which I’m a proud member). There are 49 stories gathered or written by the members of this organization. These tales range from lighthearted to deeply moving and personal. All show why it’s important to tell your story. (While you are at the website ordering your book, you can also pick up some practical tips for writing life stories. )
Your story is important. Get busy.
Sun 24 May 2009
Posted by Trish under Awards and Contests, Family Secrets, Oral History, Personal Stories, Reminiscence, Rituals, The past is now
[7] Comments
Papa with his granddaughter on his 90th birthday
My great-grandfather, Ed Rinne, was born in 1880 in Illinois. As a young man, he spent a short time farming with his father in Alabama. I am lucky to have an audio interview with him done sometime in the late 70’s when he would have been 90+ years old. But I was shocked when I listened to him talk about his time in the south. He uses the the word “nigger” repeatedly in telling this story. I vacillated about posting it. Would listener’s understand the language usage in the era he grew up in? He clearly is not using it in a pejorative sense. As a matter of fact, he has scorn only for the white southerners. But it is shocking to hear, nevertheless.
This has been an issue in the past with Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. As well as Shakespeare’s language in The Merchant of Venice that is derogatory toward Jews. Are we using any language today that will be shocking to our great-grand kids? Should we, or even could we, hide or sanitize our past use of language? Here is his story as he told it, warts and all. (Note: The “they” he refers to at the end are the white towns people.)
Papa Rinne on working in Alabama
Wed 29 Apr 2009
Posted by Trish under History and Genealogy, Oral History, Personal Stories, The past is now
1 Comment
Dear Ella,
You probably don’t remember much about your trip to Disneyland in April of 2009. 13 grueling hours of lines and concrete and brief, wild rides. The highlight of the day was your visit to the princesses. Your Aunt Pam waited in line for almost 90 minutes for you. Just as you were about to go in the tent, you looked thoughtful and asked, “Do you think the princesses like spiders?” I replied, “Good question! You should ask them. They’ve probably never been asked that before.”
Do you like spiders?
Ariel was next. You were very troubled about Ariel’s daughter Melody. “Your daughter Melody became a mermaid. She left you. Are you mad at her? Do you still love Melody?” I think Ariel was a little taken aback at how concerned you were. “Melody is my daughter. I will always love her even if she’s far away.” Maybe you’re prepping for the day you become a mermaid and leave your castle for the big wide sea.
One more thing. When you rode the roller coaster at Space Mountain, you screamed throughout the ride for your mother (who was in the car in front of you and might as well have been on the moon). As the car slowed at the end, you said in a trembling voice, “That was really scary.” After a tiny pause, you brightened. “Can we do it again?”
These memories are a treasure to your parents and aunties. We hope they will be for you, too.
Thu 23 Apr 2009
Posted by P.J. under Family Secrets, Your family's story
1 Comment
Letterhead from the India Office
The letter was dated August 3rd 1934 and began:
“Madam, I am directed to inform you that the decision to remove your son
from the Indian Civil Service was reached by the Secretary of State for
India after careful consideration of the results of an inquery into his
conduct and the decision must be regarded as final. Owing to your son’s
health it has not yet been possible to notify him personally but this will
be done as soon as his mental condition has sufficiently improved to render
it practicable to communicate with him.”
A year later a letter from the Medical Superintendent of an English mental
institution concluded, “I am afraid I cannot agree that your son has
improved so much that he is fit to be outside. He still has many peculiar
ideas and is very irrational in his conduct…he has quite recently made
unprovoked attacks on other inoffensive patients. He resents control and I
am sure he is quite unfit to be in a private house.”
Hidden within plain sight in a carved wooden box on my mother’s bureau
these letters introduced me to an uncle I never knew existed. I wish my
mother could have have answered the many questions these letters triggered
but her fragile mind had locked secrets away long ago and she was never
able to retrieve them.
Mon 20 Apr 2009
Posted by Trish under Capturing stories, Personal Stories, Your family's story
1 Comment
Have you ever asked the relatives or friends you grew up with if you could take a look at their home videos and photos?
Over the past few years, I have created several tribute videos for aunts and uncles. In order to accomplish this, I had to get photos and video from my cousins. While combing hours of their family’s home movies, I ran across this hilarious clip of my mom and dad hamming it up in Halloween costumes. I had never seen it and neither had any of my siblings. Throughout this mile of footage, I found all sorts of precious history as the years of birthdays, Christmases and summer vacations played out in front of me. And I learned a lot about my cousins and their family watching them grow up again on my screen.
When searching for your history, don’t forget that there are treasures hiding. And not just in the shoeboxes under your bed.
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