A reunion is one of the few times many generations are available in the same place. A good oral-history station does more than press record: it asks permission, creates a comfortable conversation, identifies people and places, preserves the original file, and makes clear how the family may use the story later.
Ask permission before asking questions
Explain who is recording, why, where the file will be stored, who may hear it, and whether any portion could appear in a family website, reunion book, or public archive. Let the narrator decline any question, pause, restrict a story, or stop. Record verbal consent at the beginning and keep any written release with the media file.
The Library of Congress family oral-history guide encourages recording conversations with older relatives and later transcribing and sharing them thoughtfully.
Begin with identity and everyday life
- Please say your full name, including names you have used at different times.
- When and where were you born, and where did you grow up?
- Who lived in your household and nearby?
- What did a normal school day, workday, Sunday, or summer feel like?
- Which foods, sayings, songs, celebrations, or responsibilities do you remember?
- What places mattered most to the family?
Follow the narrator's language. Ask “What happened next?” and “Who else was there?” instead of correcting details during the interview.
Ask about movement, work, and change
- Why did relatives move to or leave a particular town?
- What work did family members do, paid or unpaid?
- Who helped new arrivals find housing, employment, school, or community?
- What barriers did the family encounter, and how did people respond?
- Which church, school, neighborhood, military, union, civic, or business connections mattered?
- What family event changed the direction of later generations?
Do not pressure someone to describe trauma, discrimination, health, adoption, parentage, or conflict. Some stories belong with the narrator, not the reunion audience.
Connect the story to evidence
Ask the narrator to identify photographs, letters, programs, obituaries, recipes, certificates, and places connected to the story. Note uncertainty honestly: “I remember,” “I was told,” and “the record shows” are different kinds of evidence. The National Archives African American reference reports point researchers toward census, Freedmen's Bureau, military, land, employment, and other federal records.
Preserve a usable recording
Record in a quiet area, test the microphone, capture the date and location, and limit sessions to a comfortable length. Save the unedited original, a listening copy, a transcript, consent notes, and basic metadata: narrator, interviewer, date, place, topics, and restrictions. Use stable filenames such as 2026-07-18_Jordan-Alice_interview-01.
Keep at least two copies in separate locations and give the narrator or household access to the finished version. Use GatherKin's itinerary and announcements to schedule the station, but store archival media in a system designed for long-term files and permissions.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a reunion oral-history interview be?
Twenty to forty-five minutes is often manageable. A willing narrator can schedule another session rather than being rushed through every topic.
Can children conduct the interviews?
Yes, with preparation, adult support, narrator permission, and age-appropriate questions.
Should every recording be posted publicly?
No. Agree on access before recording and preserve restrictions with the file and transcript.