This would be funny if it wasn't so sad, but YIKES I bet that has happened to a lot of genealogy when left in the hands of disinterested folk. Leslie ----- Original Message ----- From: "muriel m davidson" <muriel_davidson@sympatico.ca> To: <can-ont-simcoe@rootsweb.com> Cc: "Doug Joudrey" <fish2002@shaw.ca> Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 10:58 AM Subject: [CAN-ONT-SIMCOE] Genealogy! > "A genealogists nightmare" [from CAN-MARITIME-LIFE@rootsweb.com] > > [ I found this "letter" on my computer the other day; I know it came > from a mailing list many years ago, but still find it amusing. ] > > > Dear cousin, > > In response to your letter, I am sorry to inform you that grandpa > "Fred" died some time back and the stuff you asked about is not > available. The personal property the family did not want was sold at an > Estate sale. All those boxes of junk did not interest a single buyer. > We were able to salvage several binders for the kid's homework after we > sent all the paper to the incinerator. The kids really complained about > having to lug all that paper and pictures of those ugly folks to the > dumpster. An old family Bible from the 1840'a did bring $5.00. The one > from the 1870's did not sell. There also was a bunch of floppy disks > that we were able to reformat and download some games for the kids to > play on their new playstation. At least SOMEBODY got some good from the > three generations' work. I saw fellow at a flea market a couple of > weeks ago and he said he threw the Bible in the trash after nobody was > interested in it. He said he got an offer for fifty cents for it, but > would rather burn it than give it away. He seemed to be having a lot of > success with some very nice Elvis painting at his booth. > > The two aunts you asked about are also dead. They were such a delight > and could talk all day long about the things papa had written about. I > remember them saying something about some records that were copied from > two courthouses that later burned. Neither ever wrote down a single > thing. The letter you referred to was one he typed up and sent to lots > of folks who wrote him. He laughed about them never getting any of his > hard work as well as his Father's and about his Grandfather who was in > the Civil War. He guarded all the information carefully to the bitter > end. I wish I could remember some of the things to help you, but I was > bored to tears listening to them talk about the family members who were > in the Civil War and those silly pieces of paper he showed so proudly. > I vaguely remember they had some beeswax seals and something to do with > the land grants that were destroyed in the courthouse fires. I wish I > could remember the story about his grandfather's evening with Jefferson > Davis when he was on the run. There were also some very juicy stories > that were handed down, but I don't remember them very well. Another > thing I remember after he got sick was some fellow calling him and he > agreed to let him come down and copy all his material. He told him he > would call him back when he felt better. Papa mentioned something about > letting the society the man was from have all his work since nobody in > the family cared anything about a bunch of people who had been dead for > 200 years. Papa died the next week. I am so sorry papa and the two > generations wasted so much of their life on such worthless hobbies and > hope your family will follow something more interesting. > > We enjoy Bingo and bowling very much here in Pleasantville. I really > enjoyed hearing from a long-lost cousin and would like to hear back if > you find anything important. The kids need the computer for their games > and I need to watch the "Millionaire" show. > > Thank you, Cuz, Tammy Jean > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > CAN-ONT-SIMCOE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

It is very sad how some people regard this as a worthless hobby. My siblings have no interest in the research part and one even pokes fun at me because I am more interested in what our grt grt gramps did for a living, than who the latest celebrity is to go into rehab...But my nieces and nephews (as well as my own kids) are the ones who are now saying "...this is amazing, where did you find all of this stuff...this is fascinating" History was one of my best subjects in school, so I guess it was only logical that I would be interested in genealogy. Like a lot of us, I didn't have the time when I was raising a family to take it up as a hobby...but I did save things...I just wish I had taken notes too...but thank goodness I remembered some of the old folk's conversations...and was interested enough at the time to recall some names and places. The best treasure was a trunk that my mother wanted to get rid of and no one wanted...she said "Take that old thing if you want it. It's full of junk...just throw the junk out or burn it." . I used the trunk as a coffee table...Good thing I kept the "junk" inside because later when I had the time to look through it, I found photos and scrapbooks belonging to my father before he married my Mom in 1934. There were old deeds, newspapers and clippings 1917 -1930s. I learned so much about my father that I didn't know... his involment with sports...I didn't know that his father was a Barrie Alderman 1933-39. There was a clipping of a letter my father had written home during WW1 that had been published in the newspaper. And so much more that told who he was in his younger days. I'm babbling here...but what if I had not been interested and tossed it all. All of that information and the clues they contained would have been lost. And my children would only know their grandfather as a feeble old war vet in a veteran's home. Eve (One of their favourites is the story relayed in 1920-30ish Barrie newspaper article about Pop and a friend "speed testing" a seaflea on Kempenfelt Bay and reaching the high speed of 40 mph before flipping the boat near Minets Point. Both survived...they were rescued by Cliff Carley who was apparently quite acustom to having to pull people out of the bay) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Leslie C. Welfare" <leslie.welfare@sympatico.ca> To: "muriel m davidson" <muriel_davidson@sympatico.ca>; <can-ont-simcoe@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 5:51 PM Subject: Re: [CAN-ONT-SIMCOE] Genealogy! > This would be funny if it wasn't so sad, but YIKES I bet that has happened > to a lot of genealogy when left in the hands of disinterested folk. > > Leslie > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "muriel m davidson" <muriel_davidson@sympatico.ca> >> "A genealogists nightmare" [from CAN-MARITIME-LIFE@rootsweb.com] ... >>Papa mentioned something about >> letting the society the man was from have all his work since nobody in >> the family cared anything about a bunch of people who had been dead for >> 200 years. Papa died the next week. I am so sorry papa and the two >> generations wasted so much of their life on such worthless hobbies and >> hope your family will follow something more interesting. -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users. It has removed 42 spam emails to date. Paying users do not have this message in their emails. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len