Audio Genealogy Records

Many people have worked for many years to create a written and visual record of their family history. I've met several people who can justifiably be proud of their efforts - but they still have one regret: that they didn't get to interview an older relative. All that is left of that person's life and knowledge of the family's story is third-hand information. Capturing details of Aunt Edna and her famous chocolate cake recipe from transcribed notes taken in the one-on-one discussion is great - but there is something better: an audio recording of the entire interview!

We've all been to museums where the words of someone famous are captured in audio form. To put it in personal perspective, though, I'll mention a sad story I recently heard about a man who lost his daughter. After that tragic event, he would play her voice mails over again, just to hear her talking. Eventually, the phone company deleted the files (read about the story here). The outcome of this story is still in doubt (the company claims the audio is lost forever, but the dad is trying to force them to try harder to recover the files).

Preservation of our loved ones' words - and interesting accents or dialects - brings us closer to them and could truly improve the quality of a family history. As part of a genealogy effort, you need to attempt to prevent old recordings from degrading. Cassette tapes, for example, have a limited life span and will be nearly impossible to understand if you don't take action to save them. I just found an old answering machine with a small tape in it - it has some messages from over 25 years ago that are both entertaining to hear and are a snapshot of my life from that time.

The lesson here is not to ever discount the idea of saving voices of your family. You should consider making a permanent digital (and online!) recording of as many people as you can. They don't have to know a vanishing language (although that would be something very valuable to record), they could just talk casually about their memories. Maybe someday in the future you might even hear a fact you overlooked that truly breaks through a "brick wall." Happy hunting!