Oral Genealogies

Oral Genealogies
Oral genealogies are spoken lineages that are common in certain parts of the world. Oral Genealogies can be especially useful in localities where few if any written records exist and in some cultures are the main genealogical tool for researchers.

FamilySearch Project
"Oral genealogies are part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage. Many countries lack written records and only have an oral tradition. FamilySearch started recording oral genealogies in the 1960s in the islands of Polynesia. We recognized then how critical it was to preserve the history before the person passed away.

In 2004 in Ghana, FamilySearch began a small effort to understand how to record oral family histories. By 2016, it became clear that unless we dramatically accelerate this effort, large amounts of African oral history and records would be lost forever. Today FamilySearch funds more than 5,000 African contract interviewers in 15 countries: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, south Africa, Togo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. By 2024, FamilySearch will conduct over 500,000 interviews and preserve over 190 million records.

"Goals for 2019-2024: FamilySearch aspires to collect over 500,000 interviews in at least 15 countries which could include approximately 190 million names. In 2018, there was great growth in the program collecting over 16 million names.

The Gambia
This collection was created by the Oral History and Antiquities Division in Banjul, The Gambia. Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1983. Interviews were done with "village elders".
 * Gambia oral genealogy interviews, 1980-1983

Polynesian Oral Genealogies
Several hundred Pacific Island genealogies have been recorded by representatives of the Genealogical Society of Utah.... Many of these oral interviews relate to genealogies of Latter-day Saint families, but other families are included in the oral histories as well....Many Pacific Islanders prior to European contact memorized names of their ancestors, which may have been associated with proof of ownership of tribal and family lands.

Oral history interviews in the Pacific Islands began as early as the 1930s. During the 1960s and 1970s, oral history interviews were conducted in various islands in the South Pacific by employees of the Genealogical Society of Utah. Oral genealogy interviews were recorded in their native languages and have been transcribed and are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Genealogies of those interviewed are included, as well as historical accounts, charts, drawings, family genealogy books, and other records. Most pedigrees begin with the earliest known ancestor and continue to the late twentieth century. Persons interviewed in the oral genealogy project gave names of family members, living relatives, names of deceased ancestors, relationships, and other family history details, often extending back to the nineteenth century and sometimes earlier.

“Over 500 Tongan oral histories, 50 Samoan oral histories, and various histories from a mixture of other islands and Africa were recorded... during the 1970s. These histories were recorded in the native languages and were later transcribed onto paper.”

Cole Jensen Collection
The Cole Jensen Collection: Oral Genealogies and Genealogical Information Collected from the Polynesian Peoples and from the Pacific Islands is a set of compiled and oral genealogies collected by William Cole and Elwin Jensen over a period of 50 years.
 * The collection covers the islands of Hawaii, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Niue, Cook Islands, and French Polynesia, including the Society, Marquesas, Austral Islands, and the Tuamotu Archipelago.
 * It has been digitized and indexed and is available at FamilySearch Genealogies Index and in the FamilySearch Catalog at:
 * , and
 * It is also available on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and the Auckland Libraries in New Zealand.
 * It is also available on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and the Auckland Libraries in New Zealand.

Information Found in Oral Genealogies
African Oral Genealogies: Most African families have a designated “storyteller” who is responsible to memorize the tribe’s oral traditions, including names of ancestors going back six to thirty generations. FamilySearch works with village chiefs and local people to visit these storytellers and record the information they have been charged to remember throughout their lives. The interview collects an audio recording and photographs. During the interview, the family names and information are written down on paper. The interview process includes introductions, discussion, and negotiation with heads of tribes, villages, and clans. While on-site, FamilySearch gets written agreement with the storyteller, records an audio file, takes photographs, and captures the genealogy details.

Polynesian Oral Genealogies: Genealogies of those interviewed are included, as well as historical accounts, charts, drawings, family genealogy books, and other records. Most pedigrees begin with the earliest known ancestor and continue to the late twentieth century. Persons interviewed in the oral genealogy project gave names of family members, living relatives, names of deceased ancestors, relationships, and other family history details, often extending back to the nineteenth century and sometimes earlier.

Ancestral versus Descendant Oral Genealogies

 * 1) Ghana Oral Genealogies are Descendant in nature giving information on the First Ancestor and then his descendants down to the present
 * 2) The informant is not always included in the Oral Genealogy that they give
 * 3) Polynesian Oral Genealogies are Ancestral starting with the informant and giving their pedigree or genealogy back to the First Ancestor

FamilySearch Catalog
Many oral genealogies can be found in the FamilySearch catalog:

Search by Place

 * Enter the country name in the "Place" search field of the FamilySearch Catalog
 * Once there, click on "Places within [the COUNTRY]"
 * Continue to click on "Places within...." options to go to the smallest possible jurisdictional level of your place of interest.
 * Click on the "Genealogy" topic.

Search by Keyword

 * Go to the FamilySearch Catalog
 * Click on the Keyword link
 * Type in the search field the town of residence, the surname of the family that you are researching, and the phrase oral genealogy interview. The name search will be limited, finding only the name of the person who was interviewed. For a more complete search by name, use the FamilySearch Genealogies Index.