Personaly I would go for a Japanese Bonsai - small, little maintentence, but if growth matters try a Leylandii.

Seriously how can anyone help if you know nothing - try http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/famhist/genealgy/intro.htm, civil registration in UK/USA will take you back 4 or 5 generations - your birth certificate will generally give parents, get their birth,death and marriage certificates, then your grandparents etc (obviously if they are still alive ask them !, grandparents will probably recall something about their grandparents)- no one can help you unless you give names and dates