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.
Remember, Murphy was an Optimist