I found this on the CIVILWAR site. Thought someone might be able to identify with these situations on ARDREW. It's a bit long, sorry Melissa! *s* davie ><< Murphy's Law for Genealogists > > The public ceremony in which your distinguished > ancestor participated and at which the platform > collapsed under him turned out to be a hanging. > > When at last after much hard work you have > solved the mystery you have been working on for > two years,your aunt says, "I could have told you > that". > > Your grandmother's maiden name that you have > searched for, for four years, was on a letter in > a box in the attic all the time. > > You never asked your father about his family > when he was alive because you weren't interested > in genealogy then. > > The will you need is in the safe on board the > Titanic. > > Copies of old newspapers have holes occurring > only on the surnames. > > John, son of Thomas, the immigrant whom your > relatives claim as the family progenitor, died > on board ship at age 10. > > Your great grandfather's newspaper obituary > states that he died leaving no issue of record. > > The keeper of the vital records you need has > just been insulted by a another genealogist. > > The relative who had all the family photographs > gave them all to her daughter who has no > interest in genealogy and no inclination to share. > > The only record you find for your great > grandfather is that his property was sold at a > sheriff's sale for insolvency. > > The one document that would supply the missing > link in your dead-end line has been lost due to > fire, flood, or war. > > The town clerk to whom you wrote for the > information sends you a long handwritten letter > which is totally illegible. > > The spelling of your European ancestor's name > bears no relationship to its current spelling or > pronunciation. > > None of the pictures in your recently deceased > grandmother's photo album have names written on > them. > > No one in your family tree ever did anything > noteworthy, owned property, was sued, or was > named in wills. > > You learn that your great aunt's executor just > sold her life's collection of family > genealogical materials to a flea market dealer > "somewhere in New York City." > > Ink fades and paper deteriorates at a rate > inversel proportional to the value of the data > recorded. > > The 37-volume, 16,000-page history of > your county of origin isn't indexed. > > You finally find your great grandparent's > wedding records and discover that the brides' > father was named John Smith.