Oral history projects that record local communities histories have wide range of benefits. This project is different in that it enables the participants to re-discover the history being recorded and then connect this to peoples present day lives. Oral history projects;
- Values everyone’s individual experience by enabling people to tell their life stories in their own words.
- Empowers people to be involved in the process of documenting their life experiences and the events that have affected them.
- Is unique in that it gives us the perspectives of people of difference backgrounds, cultures and religions.
- Gives a voice to people who in the past have largely been hidden from mainstream and traditional history.
Trade Directories
Companies such as Kelly’s published Trade Directories from the late eighteenth century to the middle of the twentieth. They were the Yellow Pages of their day. Their main purpose was to list businesses and business people as an aid to commercial travellers who journeyed from place to place to sell their goods.
Representatives of the company visited homes and businesses inviting people to advertise in their directory. Even very small concerns were included although, as a fee was charged, not everyone chose to participate.
Directories also listed general information including details of postal services, transport and public institutions such as schools. Most included potted histories and descriptions of the towns and villages they covered. They were organised by county but large towns and cities often had their own directories. Lists were compiled alphabetically by name, street, business, trade or profession.
You will find a collection of trade Directories at Poole museum.
Trade Directories