I want to learn as much as I can about my family.?

The best way I know for you to learn about your roots is to:

Build your family tree on line.

You can use a paid site like:

http://www.ancestry.com/

OR You can do this for free on:

http://www.tribalpages.com/

Start with yourself, and then attach living family members.

Find out all you can about you family from living members, then attach it to your tree.

Now it is time to look for historical records and attach the info to your tree:

It is ALL about census records, and other historical records!

You might get lucky and others may have done some work on your family tree. Google family members names i.e. "Mary Smith" + "family tree"

Free sites:

http://www.searchforancestors.com/

http://www.censusrecords.net/?o_xid=27399&o_lid=27...

http://www.usgenweb.com/

http://www.census.gov/

http://www.rootsweb.com/

http://www.ukgenweb.com/

http://www.archives.gov/

http://www.familysearch.org/

http://www.accessgenealogy.com/

http://www.cyndislist.com/

http://www.findagrave.com/

Genealogy message board:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/messageboards/newguide/?board...

http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=ab...

http://boards.ancestry.com/

http://www.gensource.com/common/search.cfm

http://messages.yahoo.com/yahoo/Family___Home/Gene...

http://genforum.genealogy.com/

http://www.genealogyforum.com/messages/

http://www.progenealogists.com/messageboards.htm

http://messageboards.aol.com/aol/en_us/boards.php?...

http://boards.rootsweb.com/

ECT.

The time may come when you want more information than you can find for free. When this happens you can back up your "tribalpage" tree to your computer on a "GEDCOM" file

you can then go to (I think it is the best subscription site)

http://www.ancestry.com/

Upload your "GEDCOM" file

and start to work!

You might need to make a few adjustments to your tree to make it look better.

Probably not a whole lot as DNA isn't something that "goes back" too far and people don't have to agree to having a DNA test. If you're talking about immediate/living family who are agreeable then it might be of some value... particularly medically if there is an issue. If you want to know your "roots" and "extended family" try the Mormons...They have what is reputed to be the largest "store" in the world of such information.