Even after almost 30 years of research, Jan Alpert still gets goose bumps when she discovers a new branch on her family tree.<p/> ``The biggest surprise is how much you can find out,'' said Alpert, who was bit by the genealogy bug in 1981 after helping her father pursue his own interest in family history. ``When you know what your ancestors went through, you have a greater appreciation for why you are the person you are.''