Record the context first
Note who is speaking, their relationship to the people involved, the approximate date and place, and whether the story is firsthand, inherited, or reconstructed from records.
Stories behind the family tree
Preserve family stories while the details are still here.
Names and dates show where someone fits. Stories explain who they were. A thoughtful preservation process records the speaker, context, permissions, evidence, and uncertainty along with the memory itself.
What to know
Use open questions
Ask about routines, turning points, work, relationships, traditions, humor, losses, beliefs, objects, and places. Follow the details that matter to the narrator instead of forcing every interview into the same script.
Connect the story carefully
Link a memory to the people, places, timeline events, photos, audio, and documents it describes. Preserve conflicting accounts side by side when the evidence does not support a single conclusion.
Respect consent and future use
Agree on who may access, edit, quote, or share the material. Record restrictions for sensitive stories and living people. Keep original files and independent backups alongside any organized Surreality record.