http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1108592.html A trip down memory lane - Cumberland County seniors record life stories By TOM McCOAG Amherst Bureau AMHERST Fri. Feb 27 - 5:35 AM (Photo of the two women) Vera Furlong and Alice Hudson are two of 41 Cumberland County senior citizens whose life stories are told in a Cumberland County Genealogical Society project, Down Memory Lane. (TOM McCOAG / Amherst Bureau) VERA Furlong and Alice Hudson were surprised that anyone wanted to hear their life stories, let alone record them. "I never thought anyone would be interested, but they are," Ms. Hudson, 88, of Amherst said in a recent interview while sitting beside her longtime friend. "One of my DVDs is in Dallas, Texas, and there are others in Truro and Montreal." The DVDs describing their lives are part of Down Memory Lane, an effort of the Cumberland County Genealogical Society to record personal histories of people from Cumberland County. They have recorded the stories of 41 seniors since the project began about a year ago. The recordings were the brainchild of Susan Hill, a 25-year member of the genealogical society. "Through the society I met great people like Ernie Coates and Irene Melanson and her husband, Fred. I used to go to their places and be mesmerized by the awesome stories they told about what it was like when they grew up and worked in Cumberland County," Ms. Hill recalled. "I once remember Fred telling me how he picked up the SOS from the Titanic while listening to his ham radio in Joggins. He told his friends and neighbours the ship was sinking, but they all thought he was crazy because, after all, the Titanic was unsinkable. They only came to believe him when the story came out in the papers a couple of days later. "I often thought it would be neat to record those stories, but I never got the chance because they passed away." When she learned the federal government was giving out New Horizon grants that could be used to preserve history, she approached the 140-member genealogical society with a suggestion to videotape seniors telling their life stories. The society jumped at the opportunity, applying for and receiving a $16,200 grant. The society compiled a list of 80 seniors - all but one over the age of 85. Forty-one agreed to be taped. Along with the audio recollections, those who agreed provided pictures that could be woven into the story in post production. "I thought it was important to participate because we grew up in a completely different atmosphere than our kids," Ms. Furlong said. "We lived through the Depression in the 1930s, a world war. It was important to me that my kids and my grandchildren know what life was like then. It's also nice to leave them something to remember me by." Ms. Hudson nodded in agreement. "It's very important that we tell people what we did and how we lived because this is a completely different age." DVDs can be viewed at the society's Genealogical Centre on Church Street in Amherst and several schools have said they would like to use the videos when they teach local history to their students, Ms. Hill said. The DVDs can also be purchased from the society for $7.95. ( tmccoag@herald.ca)