Using oral history to fill genealogical gaps: documenting aging parents' memories

[MarcoFamiglia]

Hello everyone,

I'm working through my family's Italian records (Calabrese side, Cosenza province) and I've hit a common wall: the paper trail ends around 1890, and I need family oral history to fill the gaps.

But here's my situation: my parents are 76 and 79, and their memory is getting fuzzier. I've decided to take a systematic approach to recording their recollections before details slip away entirely.

Has anyone else used recorded interviews + transcription as a way to:
- Pin down specific dates or place names that were fuzzy?
- Identify which cousin connections are most reliable?
- Verify archive records against family memory?

I'm especially interested in:
1. Interview techniques that work best with aging parents (what questions get the clearest answers?)
2. How to organize transcripts so they're searchable for specific genealogical details
3. Whether anyone has found discrepancies between what archives say vs. what family remembers (and how to resolve them)

I'm happy to share my approach as I go if it's helpful to others doing similar work.

Thanks for any guidance.