Developing Your Family History is Gratifying

To me, family history is the most fascinating story individuals can read. Or, where no family history exists, to discover it for themself and then write it.    
I remember the time I received my first requested military pension record. It was for William F. Cline, my paternal great-grandfather, pictured to the right. I learned that he was five feet ten inches tall, had a fair complexion, blue eyes, and light brown hair. Wow! I am five foot eight inches tall, have a fair complexion, am blue eyed and my hair was blonde when I was younger, and now I am brown headed.
To my knowledge, the best, and often the only place, to gain the knowledge of ancestor's physical description is from military records.
  There are billions of records, including military records, on-line through Ancestory.com, Findmypast.com, WikiTree.com and other on-line genealogy sites. These sites have annual fees to use their alphabetized and multiple historical databases. Are they worth the cost? You bet they are! Experienced genealogist, like myself, remembers the need to get in a car, drive to a distant courthouse, and often courthouses in other states, to learn, or confirm, information on ancestors. Once there, genealogist comb through county record book, after heavy record book, to learn birth, marriage, death and property records on our forefathers. Then genealogist would rent a motel room in the local county seat, or in a nearby town. Many county seats of government are in or near the center of the county and are small towns. Many do not have motels or other services for which most Americans are accustomed. Only once was I lucky enough to stay with a relative I only talked with by telephone, before my visit to where some of my ancestors lived. That was a treat, and I will always remember, and appreciate, the hospitality George and Brenda Kreig showed me in Ft. Branch, Indiana. They own a family farm north of Evansville, the county seat of Vanderburgh, Indiana.
  I am still working on the follow-up Blog of the Price Family that lost their house and the lives of family members in the Killer Tornado back in 1916. With the ability today to view period, and specific newspapers, and federal census records, writing non-fiction histories allows us to learn far more than expected. It is very gratifying to use documents and papers to bring the lives of our ancestors into readable existence. 
  To travel from county to county and other states in pursuit of family history is expensive. When you travel alone, it can also be lonely and costly. With the existence of Ancestory.com and related websites, the family historian can now develop their family history from the comfort of their homes.