My sisters and I began our ancestor quest in 2000, after the death of our parents. Growing up, my dad never talked about his family, except short snippets here and there, and none of us wanted to press him for info. After my dad began his decline due to dementia, he became much more talkative about his side of the family, and so I took many notes and absorbed as much as I could. After their passing, my sisters and I totally immersed ourselves in searching for links, etc., and found mountains of information and documentation. We even connected with some of our cousins through Ancestry, and met them and it was awesome. Throughout our journey we have visited many cemeteries and cleaned up many untended headstones of our forgotten relatives. Taking photos in cemeteries for others gives me an odd comfort, and hopefully is comforting on your end too!