Grandparents are important figures in many of our lives. Their wisdom echoes across generations. Their stories can be comforting, funny, entertaining, and make us feel loved no matter what. Explore this collection of stories from and about grandparents, and the wisdom they share.
Want to record a story with or about your grandparents, or special elders in your life? Join us for the Great Thanksgiving Listen and record your history!
By sitting down with someone you love for a StoryCorps conversation, you’re showing them that their stories matter and preserving them for generations to come. Just download the StoryCorps App to record your conversation and upload it directly to the Archive, housed at the Library of Congress. Or, if an in-person interview isn’t possible, use StoryCorps Connect to conduct it remotely.
Sunday at Rocco’s
Nicholas Petron’s grandfather, Rocco Galasso, moved to New York City from Italy with the hopes of making a better life. Nicholas shared his grandfather’s success, and their Sunday traditions at StoryCorps. Read the full transcript here.
Labor of Love
Mary Stepp Burnette Hayden was born into enslavement in North Carolina, and was 7 years old when she was freed. She stayed in Black Mountain and became a midwife, delivering several hundred babies including her own grandchildren. Read the full transcript here.
Lola’s Work
Kenneth Tan and his mother remember the remarkable life of his grandmother, whom he called Lola. Through all the hard times and hard work, Lola was a devoted and loving grandmother. Read the full transcript here.
My Father, the Giant
Thompson Williams remembers his father, a larger-than-life tribal leader of the Caddo Nation and a veteran of World War II. Read the full transcript here.
Mi Abuela Panchita
Bishop Ricardo Ramierez remembers his grandmother Panchita Espitia as a formidable and wise woman. He shares her memory and the valuable spiritual lesson she taught him at the end of her days. Read the full transcript here.
An Honest Life
When Tony Perri was 17 years old he went to confession and told his priest that he was attracted to men. At StoryCorps, Tony talks with his grandson Jeffrey about coming out, and Jeffrey talks about his own coming out experience. Read the full transcript here.
Silvia’s Legacy
In the 1950s Ellaraino, then age 16, was sent to Louisiana to visit her great-grandmother Silvia, who had lived through the Civil War. That summer, Silvia shared the moment she got her freedom. Read the full transcript here.
Stories From Our Archive
Alisha Laramee and Douglas Haynes
Alisha talks to Doug about her grandmother, and their family’s traditions.
Eliezer Krumbein and Sarah-Bess Dworin
Sarah-Bess Dworin (41) relives the memory of her grandmother in this conversation with her grandfather Eliezer Krumbein (93).
Monica Eager and Tiffany Eager
Sisters Monica and Tiffany Eager trade stories about their maternal grandparents, Grandma Lily and Grandpa Cliff.
Theresa Haynes and Stephanie Harrell
A grandmother and granddaughter chat about growing up in Brooklyn.