Sheik Yir Erse wrote: I'm also equally amazed by the help offered by the likes of Iain and Shona to answer questions posed.
Hi ! Lol..., thanks for the comments !
As the others have said, it’s more urgent than you think to get in touch with the oldest members of the family before it’s too late. I'd even say this for people who are not interested in genealogy..., because one day, someone else in the family might sincerely appreciate that type of info. (and especially the photos..., and get them digitalized)
I’ve a perfect example of my still living Uncle Dan Black in Campbeltown, b1924 He’s the only living person who spoke and played with my Great Grandfather Robert McArthur 1860-1935. My problem is that there’s nobody in the family who’s interested in genealogy to ask him the relevant questions. (I’m in Belgium !)
And as MPR said, it will consume you. I know people on RootsChat who have over 17000 genealogical researched answers. This is half a lifetime donated to helping others. Lol ! That’s passion gone wild !
http://www.rootschat.comhttp://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.ph ... board=87.0As for the cost..., it’s "totally" free thanks to the Internet ! But of course, it's always better if you do belong to some site that offers you the construction of a professional tree and access to other members’ trees. I’m an Ancestry fan, but I was thinking of asking for a Christmas present membership to Scotland’s People. But much of what they provide is already mentioned on Ancestry.
http://www.ancestry.co.ukhttp://www.scotlandspeople.gov.ukIt’s the “free” aspect that interested me at the start and I’m only sorry that I didn’t/don’t have a walk-around access to all cemeteries. This is one of the most valuable assets for a Campbeltonian genealogist. There..., everything’s written down for you. Personally, I must surf the Ralston site and although the images are free, it’s not that easy when there’s more than one person with the same name.
http://www.ralstongenealogy.comAlso, you have all the additional links such as libraries, museums, newspaper companies, town halls, to mention but a few.
Lol ! Like you..., I’m also wondering if there’s not a supplementary aspect related to age. At my age at least, I’m snugly fitting myself into the tree and providing future generations with a “oh what a wonderful man that was,” element.
Everything positive...,