Oral History

“Nothing is ever over, nothing is ever ended, and worlds open up within the world we know.” 
― Lee Smith, Oral History

Poem found in my Mamaw's bible

Oral history is defined as "a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events. Oral history is both the oldest type of historical inquiry, predating the written word, and one of the most modern, initiated with tape recorders in the 1940s and now using 21st-century digital technologies." (Source)

The importance of collecting oral history can not be stressed enough. Without collecting oral history we will lose the knowledge, the stories, and lessons that the previous generations have gathered and learned. Oral history is a collaborative interview between a source and the collector. It does not include things such as wire tappings, recorded historical events or speeches, etc. It is a specific experience of collecting usually through recording the interview a person's personal stories, ideas, and opinions. 

The idea of collecting oral history may not seem to be terribly exciting or even beneficial. I used to think that as well. Growing up in the Appalachian Mountains during the 1980s and the 1990s I wanted nothing more than to escape the area that seemed to want to smother and oppress me. The future was "out there" in the big cities and other countries. That is where the important things were happening and the important people were doing things (important things, or famous things, you know the thoughts that teenagers have about how anything not of their place of origin is better than what they have always known.) And so I was determined to distance myself from my home place and land. 

Cue my freshmen or sophomore year at the local college (University of Virginia's College at Wise). Like all college freshmen I had to take english composition, but my professor had a different assignment for the class. We had to collect oral history from someone either in our family or someone from the community, and transcribe the recording. All of the oral histories were then bound in a small booklet, and we were all given a copy. This assignment changed my life. 

Louisa Hall Nash
Matriarch of the Nash Clan of Wise County, Virginia
My G-G-Great Grandmother

I interviewed my Great Aunt Fern about anything and everything she wanted to share. I started with ghost stories, witch stories, and then just allowed the conversation to flow to the memories and thoughts as Fern wanted to tell them. As I transcribed the interview I started to realize how important this assignment truly was to me, the community, and to society at large. Aunt Fern shared a history that normal history books would never gather or know or report. A history of family and community, a history that included beliefs of the supernatural, the natural, the spiritual, and beyond. She shared funny stories about teachers coming to school in sleds, and mournful stories about infant mortality. 

"Perhaps any life is such: different stories like different strands, each distinct in itself, each true, yet wound together to form one rope, one life.” 
― Lee Smith, Guests on Earth

By gathering these stories I not only learned about a silent history, but I learned about family and myself. I also fell in love with my Appalachian Mountain home. 

Poem found in Mamaw's bible

It is vital that the information from our elders is gathered, collected, and remembered. There is so many vital skills, knowledge, memories, and music among others that are at a risk for being lost to time. Once the elders die that is it for their memories. Their stories, their memories, their skills, etc will fade away never again to be gathered. 

I encourage everyone to start collecting their family's oral histories, and transcribe them. Save the digital copies on multiple devices so that they are not lost. 

You will not be sorry that you spent the time and energy doing this. I can say once your grandparents and parents pass away you will be sorry that you did not collect their stories. Because once they are gone they are gone.