My Mom's side is fairly well mapped out clear back into the 18th century when they came across the Atlantic. One of my cousins has it all archived.
My Dad's side is a fuggin mess with a bunch of widowing, remarrying, and is only really partially tracable to the mid 19th century. They're also not tight knit at all, and spread out all over the country. I remember the only time I really met relatives from his side was at funerals, and they're pretty much all dead up to Dad's gen now. When my Dad's dad died, a great uncle I had never met showed up. My Dad hadn't seen him since the early 60s and didn't even know he was still alive... real tight knit.
