I'm the oldest son but I passed my Father's family bible on to my youngest brother (a biological child) and it's gone to his son. It was a present to the first holder from his parents when the son went to Russia to farm for Catherine the Great. Every member in the straight line is written in there from then to now. All we have is names there.
My Mom's family has kept records for a couple of hundred years, it's pretty cool. There is currently an active family tree on Ancestry and a very active FB group of my generation that publishes photographs and identities with complete regularity. It's actually a very good use of FB.
Many of us will post current photos of past places when we are traveling. I was recently at the site of my Great Grandparents store in Athena, Oregon. The place has changed some...
I certainly understand the time complications. Completely. After we both sobered up my best ex had a meditation room in every house we had. It was a little frilly for my tastes :) but when you were in there with the door closed nobody would bother you unless the house was on fire.
It was also a nice private place for conversation. She had some glorious antique furniture there and it was just comfy and perfect.
How lovely the settings and memories. The Ancestry is great. Locating information if you don't have a full subscription is a bit hard. Only a few databases are free. If a family can get together and pay for a subscription, then all can share in research. That would be cool to do.
Your ancestry is all you have of your past from centuries ago. It's to be cherished and also passed on to your descendants. I'm compiling my books now from what I can locate.
Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful family history. A family member farmed for Catherine the Great. That's truly a great family find. Have a good week ahead.