Again remember sometimes census takers didn't get truthful answers to their questions. Another source is the Internet. Everyday more and more public and private records are added to the Internet via HTML pages. Use search engines, Family Search, webrings and various other genealogy links to find family information. However, one must be careful when obtaining information from a private source.
Some information is incorrect or incomplete.
Gathering information like ages and where your family came from is exciting. But the real interest is hearing stories about lives or how their lives influenced history. This is when that great great grandfather becomes a real person. Some one you can identify with, almost know by first name, not just a name with a bunch of dates and places. Family History is just that the history or a small story about a family.