It was bound to happen. After all, research on the web is one of the biggest parts of my job as a freelance writer. Couple that with a insatiable appetite for information, and what you have here, my friends, is a Situation.
I have fallen into the rabbit hole of genealogical research.
I think as we get older, we feel a need to connect with our past. It feels like I can hear the clock ticking, and I know my days are numbered. That might sound morbid, but it's the truth. I think of all the family history I have in my head (although in my case, it's not a lot, thus the Quest for Knowledge) and how much I haven't passed down to my kids yet. I think of all the details my momma knew, and I feel bad because I didn't poke around more while she was still with me. So, I figure I'll get together what I can to tell my children, and they can get a better idea of where they came from.
This was inspired in part by the show, Who Do You Think You Are?, which airs Fridays on NBC. It was fascinating. Although I'm poor as dirt and can't afford the same resources Emmit Smith and SJP can afford, there's still a lot of free information out there for us regular people.
One such site is maintained by the Church of Latter Day Saints. I was a little leery at first, afraid someone would try to save my soul in a Ziploc bag or something, but so far that hasn't happened. What I like about Family Search is more than just the fact they offer all information for free, but they also sponsor a program by which you can sign up as an Indexer and transcribe historical documents, such as the 1910 census, from microfilmed handwritten records into the computer. It's strictly volunteer, but it's for a good cause and I'm actually quite skilled in data entry. This also gives me a chance to poke my nose in other people's business. Heh.
So, in between assignments I download a batch from the site and use their nifty program to enter information from actual documents from back in the day. I find it relaxing and interesting...and I like the idea of helping people find their people, if you feel me. You can sign up here, if you're interested and you have an hour or so to spare. Warning: it's addicting.
The interface is really quite easy to use, and they use a double system. This means two people index the same page, and any discrepancies are forwarded to an arbitrator to resolve. This actually relieved me quite a bit, knowing they weren't depending on my interpretation of bad handwriting and funny names alone.
It's not like serving in a soup kitchen or volunteering at a hospital, but it is a worthy cause in preserving pieces of our past. Thanks to the efforts of other fine people, I've been able to track my paternal grandfather's steps into the 1930's Dust Bowl era from Germany, and I find that fascinating stuff.
The tag line from Who Do You Think You Are? goes something like this...You don't know who you are until you know where you have been. And I believe that's very true.
***WARNING*** It can go from hobby to obsession quite easily. Heh.
Genealogy is very like a scavenger hunt. You find one little tidbit, and it's such a rush you can't wait to get to the next one. Often frustrating, it's nevertheless fascinating, and a good way to review American history like you've never seen it before. Somehow, it makes more of an impact when you can imagine your own people experiencing these things.
Come on. Join me. Not only is it fun and mind-blowing, it gets lonely in the rabbit hole. Come on down. I'll make tea. 
