Reggie,
Don't sell yourself too short. I'll bet you are way ahead of the game. Just keep your head on a swivel and look for reasonableness in the gun and the info. The story will reveal itself and that is part of the fun and adventure of these old guns, at least it is for me.
Family has an old black powder hammer rifle that hung over my grandfathers fireplace for 40 years. He collected and restored antiques but knew little about guns. My dad liked old guns and turns out the gun over the fireplace was made by a guy named Ogden out of New York. Dad likes shotguns and inherited gun and just put it back in the gun safe. Started doing some research the other day 20 years after grandfather died and found an identical gun that is housed in the Jim Bridger museum that was gun given to him and it was made by Ogden. Only difference is our gun is a 50 caliber. Remember as a kid wondering about that gun and what it used for and who owned it, what was its story. Most guns storied pasts are as fleeting as burning gun powder. Some get immortalized like Bo Whoop.
http://museumofthemountainman.com/jim-bridgers-rifle/
Fun stuff. Enjoy the journey.