I've been working on (my) family histories on and off since High School. More on than off the last 4-5 years. I've had a lot of luck with Ancestry.com, largely because I had a fairly decent foundation of information from grandparents and a great great aunt who herself, was a family history buff. It's definitely a good idea to contact relatives far and near who could give some insight. Always try to cross reference "facts" given from various sources. Especially when from oral or remembered histories. More than once I've received "hints" on Ancestry.com where the supposed mother of the person I was researching was born after her child. So carefully reading over the information can take time. I find it helpful to work on one small branch at a time. And take breaks from the research and then go back to it days (or weeks) later with new eyes. Good luck with the search and the journey. And, yes, Genealogy can be very addictive. Enjoy it!