This is funny, but also very true! Mary ----- Original Message ----- From: Mike Waggoner <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, February 15, 2002 9:59 PM Subject: [TNSUMNER] Murphy' Laws of Genealogy > I know this outside the guidelines for this list, but, I could not pass it up. > Mike Waggoner > > Murphy's Laws of Genealogy > The public ceremony in which your distinguished ancestor participated, and at > which the platform collapsed under him, turned out to have been a hanging. > > When at last, after much hard work, you have solved the mystery that you have > been working on for two years, your aunt says, "I could have told you that." > > You search ten years for your great-grandmother's maiden name only to > eventually find it on a letter in a box in the attic - and it turns out to be > Jones. > > 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 the age of 10. > > Your great grandfather's newspaper obituary states that he died leaving no > issue of record. > > Another genealogist has just insulted the keeper of the vital records you > need. > > 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-great-great-grandfather is the names > of the men who sat on the inquest of his death (and the fact that they were > each paid one dollar for it.) > > 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 a will. > > 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 grandparents' wedding record and discover that the > bride's father's name was John Smith. The bride's mother's name is listed as > "Jane". > > Source Unknown > > > > > >