Instructions for Taking Oral Histories for SFHS

by Dale Hjort

Welcome to making an oral history of your family!

Please read these instructions thoroughly before beginning. The purpose is to make a voice record of your family history with regard to the Swedish Finn heritage. The questions below have been written with this in mind.

The interview should take place in a comfortable setting such as a family home and last about forty minutes. Check your recording settings carefully before you begin. It should be recorded on an appropriate electronic device such as a smart phone or other device in a digital format that can be transferred to a computer.

The oral history will then become part of the Swedish Finn Historical Society archives and be a resource for further generations to learn more about their ancestors.

Introduction of Participants

Begin with the participants introducing themselves.

PARTICIPANT 1 (person being interviewed)

My name is (full name including middle name). I was born in (place, parish, village, country or place, city, state) on (date). I am (age) years old. Today is (date). I am being interviewed by (partner’s name) who is my (relationship). The interview is being recorded in (place, city, state).

PARTICIPANT 2 (person doing interview)

My name is (full name including middle name). I was born in (place, city, state) on (date). I am (age) years old. Today is (date). I am interviewing (partner’s name) who is my (relationship). The interview is being recorded in (place, city, state).

Interview Questions

Use these questions for the interview. They should be sufficient to fill the requested 40 minutes interview time. The time of 40 minutes is a target for the interview and more (or less) is okay. You may not have answers for some questions or some may not pertain to you but do the best you can as any and all information you can provide about your family history is valuable.

Where did your family live in Finland? Were other family members in the area? Who?
What do you know about your family surname?
When did your family come to North America?
What community or communities did they did they live in when they came to North America?
What type of work did they do in Finland and after they came to North America?
How many generations are you from those who immigrated?
What is the full name of your spouse? What were your parents’ and grandparents’ names?
Where are your preceding generations buried?
What is the most important thing to you about being a Swedish Finn?
Are your younger generations interested in your Swedish Finn Heritage?

If you have any questions about these instructions send an email to Dale Hjort at the email address dale@swedishfinnhistoricalsociety.org or call (714)858-0139. After the interview is completed please send a copy of the digital file via email to the same address.

Thank you for your participation in this Swedish Finn Historical Society Oral History project!

A printable copy of these instructions can be found here