Scanning cemetery and death records lays the groundwork for meaningful conversations with Elders and longtime residents
Oral history isn’t just storytelling. It’s records. It’s research. It’s the careful, often quiet work of documenting lives so they aren’t lost to time. This January, our winter program has been deep in that work—turning cold days into long hours of scanning, sorting, and learning, as we begin digitizing community records that will shape this year’s programming.
Much of the focus so far has been on death, burial, and cemetery records. It’s detailed work, and sometimes heavy work, moving page by page through handwritten ledgers and aging documents. But it’s also meaningful. Each name, date, and note tells part of a larger story about the people who built Dyment and Borups Corners, who lived here, worked here, and are still remembered here.
So far, we’ve scanned hundreds of pages of burial records and community history materials. These documents are becoming a foundation—one that will help guide upcoming interviews with local Elders and community members. Having these records in hand changes the conversations we’re able to have. It allows memories to connect with dates, places, and families, grounding oral histories in a shared archive of lived experience.
All of this work is leading toward a larger archival and exhibition project later this year, where these materials will be shared back with the community. What started as boxes of paper is slowly becoming a living resource—one that links past and present through care, curiosity, and collaboration.
And honestly? It’s been a fun project. There’s something exciting about uncovering forgotten details, piecing together fragments of history, and knowing that this winter’s work will help keep those stories alive for generations to come.
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