OK, you got this far, let's just go over what you can expect to find out and why do some people find it so addictive or rewarding.

There comes a time in life, for a lot of people, when they ponder a bit or even a lot about who they are, where they come from, what's life all about.

If checking the UK / Scotland as long as you can get back to around the 1914-18 war, with family knowledge, then you should be able to trace your folks back another 100 years with census and certificates.

Before that epidemics, wars, transportations and clearances start making things harder. You could still be fortunate if there was money, property, professional qualifications and such but tracing the poor Mr Normal, who didn't get any medals, have a horse or break the law, gets a lot harder.

You may be lucky to find most or part of your tree has already been researched by a yet unknown relative.

There is a lot of stuff available online, without having to pay. Here we will show you a few tricks to speed things up and start pulling in the goodies .....

Not a paid for advert but for those who may not know the beauty of Google streetview... Most of Scotland is covered. Grab your mouse and have a walk down The Royal Mile or a drive down Loch Ness or maybe even a trip around Stirling castle for free.

It is a big business and it all comes down to trust and integrity. Be careful who you give your money to, e.g. it's nice to see a full census report instead of just one name on it.