Jean,

I would have to agree with you. Though my experience is a little different than most of the people on here (I, along with my siblings, was removed from the Melson home as a small child by the State of Alabama), I have found that my relatives wait for me to do all the research.

After talking and meeting with the Melson family that I belong to in Lawrence County, AL, I have come to learn that a lot of them just don't have the resources, nor education that I have to do this type of research. I don't mean any of this in a negative way as when I met my birth relatives I had a very warm reception and I am still in contact with them, it's just stating the facts.

Being on this site has enabled me to learn a little bit about where I came from and as awarded me the opportunity to learn my kin folks names and see an occasional picture that I missed by not growing up in the home.

While I may not feel that the fees imposed by ancestry.com are that high I am pretty sure other members would think it's not affordable beyond a couple of months. Or, like I said, they may have found the information they were seeking and just don't use the site or message boards any longer. I; however, am just happy to be able to talk to anyone who might be related to me. I've missed out in knowing a lot of my cousins, that I may or may not have been close with growing up, and this site is enabling me to connect with cousins, no matter how close or distant, that I would not have otherwise been able to be in contact with since I was removed from the Melson family.