H ow did Grandpa get his nickname? What did Susie say on her second birthday that made the whole family laugh? We think we'll always remember -- but often, we don't.

A few simple ways to keep track of your family history...

Videotape interviews with elderly relatives. Ask questions that will inspire stories, not "yes" or "no" answers. Ask about their experiences during World War II or the Great Depression. Ask about firsts -- first home, vacation, car.

One question that worked well in my family was, "What were your first kitchen appliances?"

My mother explained that my grandfather had insisted that his sons attend college -- but not his daughters. My grandmother had other ideas -- her girls were going to college. Thus, one of the family's first appliances was a dishwasher. It was purchased because the family's previous dishwasher -- my mother -- was heading off to school.

Make copies of the video for family members. Transcribe the tape as a backup.

Keep the year's memories in a shoebox. Fill a shoebox with pictures, articles, notes and other small items you want to save. Write the year on the box. Start a new one each year.

Important: On the backs of all your photographs, write the names of those pictured, the date and the event. I have a stack of old photos of long-departed relatives, but I can't identify who's who.

Save E-mails. Saving letters used to be a great way to preserve family history. Few of us write letters anymore, but we can save E-mails. Don't just save them on a disk. Print them out because technology may change over time.

Start a family journal. Twice a year, the households in my wife's extended family write up a page about what they've been up to. These pages are sent to one family member, who combines them all and sends out copies.