Her Own Story Oral Histories of Benton County Women, 1981-1984

              PROJECT SUMMARY WVS& A-
HEW OWN STORY: ORAL HISTORIES OF BENTON COUNTY WOMEN
Until recently few women were represented in the pages of our history
books, and most of what was considered "women's experience" was thought to be
of little importance. Traditionally, historical significance has been defined
in terms of power, influence, and visible activity in political or economic
affairs. Rarely were women visible in positions of power or autonomy, therefore
history has not accorded women's lives much visibility nor allowed that those
things which affected their lives were significant.
The re-emergence of the women's movement in the last 15 years has brought
new perspectives to the historical treatment of women. Important women in our
past have been "discovered" and social history has emerged as an important
discipline. Historians are asking questions about the personal experiences
of common women and attempting to connect those experiences with traditional
historical development. We have realized that the inclusion of women in history
involves redefining and enlarging traditional ideas of historical significance.
Personal, subjective experiences can no longer be ignored, but rather considered
as important as public and political activities.
Recognizing the need to preserve the stories of women in our area, the
Vinton Branch of the American Association of University Women undertook an oral
history project. It was our hope that the primary source information collected
would represent auum^^ymmm rural women in general.
The project sought to:
* preserve for public access audio tape interviews (life reviews) of
10 older Benton County women and to collect and preserve accompanying
information and photos. These materials would expand the collection
of Benton County historical materials housed at the Vinton Public
Library.
* increase public awareness of the need to record women's history,
* encourage interest in our local heritage and in family history.
* encourage awareness and use of the increasingly popular concept of
taped oral history: the systematic recording of a person's life
story, told in their own words and reflecting their experiences,
values, attitudes, and relationships.
To achieve these objectives, the AAUW hired oral historian Cindy Cleary
to lead training workshops and guide the project. Then nominations of interview
candidates were sought throughout the county. Ten of the 50 nominees were ■
interviewed in depth; they were chosen on the basis of advanced age, geographic
representation throughout the county, and representation of the ancestry and
varied life experiences of Benton County women. Information used in making
the selections was gathered via phone interviews with all 50 candidates.
The 10 women were interviewed over the summer of 1984 by seven trained
AAUW volunteers. Each interviewer was assigned one or two subjects, and met
with her subject (s) three to five times to complete several hours of tape,
The interviewer then summarized the tape in three minute segments (referred to
in this material as indexes), wrote a brief biographical sketch, and composed
a brief summary of the taping experiences,
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