What is an Oral History Interview?

Oral histories are stories told by living people about the past.  Usually, these stories are about their own life and the lives of the people they are close to, such as their family.
 
These stories usually only exist in the storytellers mind.  Preserving oral history is very important for people who are studying their family history since it is not yet written down.
 

Really think about this!

Does oral history sound familiar? Maybe a little like folklore? Like folklore, oral history is often passed from generation to generation.  Your grandparents may have told your parents true stories about their childhood, and your parents may have told these same stories to you, but unlike folklore, oral history is fact.  Folklore, like the story of Paul Bunyan, contains fictional elements.