The theme of this guidebook is "Follow your family's history and you will discover America's history." The guidebook offers a way for everyone to explore family history to discover how family stories connect to the history of the nation. It suggests that a family history can be started with a single old photo, letter, or family tale that can be saved as a legacy for generations to come. The guidebook provides 15 ways to preserve family memories and treasures through activities that make history an exciting adventure for the entire family, complete with many examples of how other families have discovered and saved their own stories. The guidebook's activities are: (1) "Keeping a Journal"; (2) "Why Family Recollections Matter"; (3) "Playing Detective with Photographs"; (4)"Discovering Clues in Family Papers"; (5) "Uncovering History in the Attic"; (6) "Exploring Your Home's History"; (7) "Climbing the Family Tree"; (8) "Finding Your Family's Place in American History"; (9) "Writing Your Own Story"; (10) "Fun for the Family"; (11) "Sharing Your Story"; (12) "Connecting with Your Community"; (13) "Finding Help"; (14) "Teaching American History through Family History"; and (15) "Joining Your Hometown Experts." An additional section, "Saving Your Family Treasures," suggests simple steps for preserving family heirlooms and combating the perils of rubber bands, adhesives, acidic paper, heat, light, and humidity. An extensive resource section lists relevant books; American stories; films; regional, national, and state addresses; and places to visit. (BT)