You have more work to do than I thought... The best way to get started in genealogy is to start with yourself and go backwards. Interview older relatives for names, places, dates, etc. Once you get into the 1930's and beyond, the census can give you birth dates and places, as well as sibling names... Then walk it back to the 1860's. With a little luck things will fall into place for you. Most good sized public libraries have Heritage Quest, and / or Ansestry.com, that you can access on line with a library card, or can use in person at the library. - Don't forget to try alternate spellings if you hit a dead end.

Once you get back that far, check the Soldier and Sailor site and see if you get any matches.

Might also work this site to see if you can find anyone else working on the same line: http://genforum.genealogy.com/cobb/