I found this on another genealogy list. I hope that you all enjoy these. DEB 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 inversely 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. I'll add one more from personal experience: Your aunt's new husband thought that the family photographs grandma collected for over 90 years were only fit for a bonfire. Your uncle saved the last 20 lb box out of three. They haven't spoken since.