Where to start?

I have to say I do not know where to start. My wife's aunt ask me about my Cummins family one day for her genealogy research and I began to realize that I knew very little about my family history. Also after some fifty years of looking my father was united with two siblings who were adopted as infants. Being a man of curiosity I began a quest for truth and fact. I knew nothing of my Great grandfather pictured to the left though he did not die until 1988. As my grandfather was not one who spoke of his family, being abandoned by his mother at an early age. His mother I had only seen as an infant of about two, everyone called her Frances Edwards I came to find her real name among a 1921 marriage bond. Through a persistent dogged determination I was on my way digging up old bones long ago forgotten and buried with the past. I have found an entire family whom I only know through old tattered pages of Census records Marriage Bonds.
This is a photo of my great-great-grandmother Janie Cummins at about 1911-1913 with three of her sons John, James and Arthur along with who I belive is her sister-inlaw Sarah Frances Cummins-Schwietzer.
Come to find out my family has been here in this state "Kentucky"since the late 1700's over some two hundred plus years. I have tracked down the my first Cummins back to one Matthew Cummins an American Revolutionary War Veteran Who resided in Mercer County Kentucky after the war. He had made a pension request dated November 13, 1818 Reqst.#S35870 which was granted 3 Feb 1819.he was dropped from the roll on 10 Mar 18 21, restored to the roll on 1 Mar 1823, and reinstated 11 Nov 1823. When his life had reached a closing he was found in Anderson County KY, thus drawing his last breath on August 08, 1833. Through his son James S Cummins and Lucy Noel we begin our journey. tracing back over some nine generation from my birth.