Can you reorganize someones story?

Question

I am typing a family history book, as it was told by my grandmother's great aunt. As I am going through what was recorded, I am wondering if one would normally reorganize the order in which things were told.

Please note that this book is being recorded only for my family, and I will not be trying to publish it. I just want the story to remain true to her stories that she shared, and I am unsure of the etiquette when recording a verbal story.

I am keeping all of her original wording. However, what I find confusing to the story when I read it, is that she goes back and forth. She tells things from her childhood, and the next paragraph is talking about when her grandfather was a boy. I was just wondering about putting things in a more chronological fashion, but I am not going to be omitting any information, or changing the way she worded anything.

Answer 1

I see no reason why you can't re-tell your ancestor's oral story in a more organized, chronological fashion. Be careful not to change things too much; sometimes in "cleaning up", facts get altered.
Be sure to safeguard the original recording, too, because that version is priceless. Make copies. Digitize it. Don't edit it AT ALL. You'd be surprised how 10 years from now something you thought wasn't important can be a piece of a puzzle, or just a treasured bit of family history.
I've been collecting and saving family history for many years. I've NEVER regretted what I've kept. It's the stuff you throw away that will make you sorry later.

Answer 2

I would think most of the family would want to hear the story in the words of the person who told it. You might clean up some grammatical problems--when you go from oral to written those will be much more glaring--but I would think it is important to keep the voice of the original teller.

Answer 3

It's very hard to edit a verbal story and I suggest you leave it alone. The story will sound more real if you leave in the meanderings. You can edit out things that really don't matter, but I wouldn't re-organize it.

It's great that you are preserving your family history.