Living History
Not all history is written down in books. Some is handed down from parents to children by word of mouth. This is called oral history. Many times, oral history takes the form of stories. Storytellers have long helped to pass along information about the past. In this way, people have come to know about things that happened before they were born.
You can learn about history in this way by talking to someone who is older and remembers things that happened long ago. Find an elderly person who has lived in your area for many years, and ask him or her the questions below.
- Name _________________________________________________________
- When did you first come to this community? __________________________
- Where did you live? ______________________________________________
- How was your house different from the houses we build today? _______________________________________________________________
- What school did you go to? _________________________________________
- How did you get to school? _________________________________________
- In what ways was school different then? _______________________________ ________________________________________________________________
- What sports or games did you and your friends like to play? ________________________________________________________________
- How was the community different as a child? ___________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Do you think children were different from children today? ______________
If yes, it what ways? _________________________________________________
- What do you think is the biggest difference between life when you were a child and life today? _____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Courtesy of the Warren County Historical Society