Talking It Over

"Follow your family's story, and you will discover America's history." This is the idea behind "My History is America's History," an exciting project created by the National Endowment for the Humanities in partnership with the White House Millennium Council.

The President and I have asked Americans to celebrate the new millennium by honoring the past and imagining the future. What better time to start than by sharing family stories during the holidays?

This year, I hope Americans will take the time to ask their parents and grandparents to tell some of their favorite stories. They might explain how they came to this country, or to talk about their first job. Or they could describe how they celebrated holidays when they were children.

With the help of a guidebook produced by NEH for "My History is America's History," children all over the country are already creating family histories. Mary Gene Devlin, a teacher at Deerfield Elementary School, in South Deerfield, Mass., has her students study the countries from which their ancestors emigrated. Then, she says, "They find a 'family treasure' to bring in and share, and they research a family story that might be told at family gatherings, or remembered by someone in the family. It is exhilarating to feel the excitement among the students as they share their stories and see American history come to life."

Sue Carmody, whose son is in Mary Gene's class says, "Sometimes, the family learns something new, too. My son, Dan, called both sets of his grandparents and asked them about their parents. We located a trophy my grandfather — Dan's great-grandfather — had won for track. Dan had never known about him or his athletic ability before. Maybe this is even where Dan gets his own athletic ability — we were all very excited about this discovery."

Besides bringing families together, sharing stories such as these can offer a child a new understanding of history. Seen through a grandparent's eyes, or an old family photograph, events like the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression or the Civil Rights Movement come to life.

"Many Americans are historians without being aware of it," says NEH Chairman William Ferris. "Each of us has stories we pass, like heirlooms, from generation to generation.

Through these stories, we connect with our families, our past and our hopes for the future."

If you'd like to create a family history, the NEH guidebook is called "My History is America's History: 15 Things You Can Do To Save America's Stories." With pages and pages of creative ideas on how to research, document and preserve family stories and keepsakes, it is available at libraries, at the project's web site, www.myhistory.org, or by calling this toll-free number: 1-877-NEH-HISTORY (1-877-634-4478).

The guidebook's very first recommendation is to keep a journal. It doesn't have to be elaborate or complicated. As a matter of fact, the book advises: "Start small. Keep it fun. Write a little bit every day if you can. ... Write your own personal history, but be sure to include a few lines on what you see, read and hear about — from weddings and jobs to local news, politics or parades. All these things are American history in the making."

Ask your parents or grandparents or cousins if you can record their memories. Tape and video recordings preserve your relatives' voices, how they express themselves, who they are. And they become precious heirlooms to pass down to your own children and grandchildren.

Show your relatives an old picture or toy, or maybe a piece of furniture or work of art and ask them five questions: who, what, when, where and why.

As you learn some of these details, begin to compare important events in your family's history to what was going on in the world at the time. Try to get other family members involved — creating projects like a web site, a quilt or a cookbook are great ways to include others — and be sure to share what you've learned.

With the help of Genealogy.com, a company that provides tools and resources for researching family history, the NEH has created a web site that can help you get started. A virtual "front porch," families can exchange stories, post photographs, create family trees, and discover their place in history. "We're especially excited that children can work together with grandparents and other family members on the project," says Rob Armstrong, Genealogy.com's CEO.

"My History is America's History" can help all of us take stock of who we are, where we came from, and what we want and hope for the future — individually and as a nation. This week, as you gather with family and friends, I encourage you to begin exploring your family's story, because after all, your history is America's history.

Happy Holidays, everyone.

To find out more about Hillary Rodham Clinton and read her past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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