An Internet friend from Germany Emailed the following. You may have heard some them before, but they are still good for a laugh. Date: Sun, 15 Nov 98 09:23:38 PST From: Hilgedieck To: smckenzi@midwest.net Subject: Genealogy Dear Mary, the following wisdom about genealogy I found in a genealogic list. It is just fun. Hope you have had a nice sunday. Greetings to you and your family. Inge and Wilhelm ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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" > > You 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 grmother'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, sixteen thousand 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.