If it can be believed (I have my doubts), my wife has lineage back through William the Conqueror and Charlemagne among others, with a line that can allegedly be traced BC.
We've only been able to find back to about the 16th Century for my side.
That's basically the difference between having a lot of English and French ancestry vs a pretty much entirely Germanic ancestry.
If you want a free ancestry site, try Rootsweb. Its not as extensive as Ancestry, but there's a good chunk of info there for those who have someone who has submitted info. Tip: Don't search for anyone living. Try a dead grandparent/great-grandparent.