Who says genealogy has to be serious? Sure we work away at it, we want everything we
record to be accurate, but still, genealogy can be funny. Here is a selection of genealogical humour
I have culled from the internet and Bob Thaves, the originator of the
"Frank and Earnest" comic strip ably shows that we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously.
More Frank and Earnest is available
here and here.
Even Gary Larson got into it with "The Far Side"
MURPHY'S LAW OF GENEALOG
Y
The public ceremony in which your distinquished 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 gr 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 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 gr 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 pronounciation.
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 gr grandparent's wedding records and discover that the 'brides'
father was named John Smith.
Author: Unknown
You Know You are a Genealogy Addict when ...
All your correspondence begins, "Dear Cousin".
You brake for libraries.
You hyperventilate at the sight of an old cemetery.
You would rather browse in a cemetery than a shopping mall.
You would rather read census schedules than a good book.
You are more interested in what happened in 1697 than 1997.
Moses, Dorcas, and Caleb are household names, but you cannot remember what to call the dog.
You can pinpoint Sewickely, McKeesport, Evans City (PA)but can't locate your own provincial capital on the map.
You think every home should have a copier and a microfilm reader.
You know every registrar of deeds in the province by name, but they lock the doors when they see you are coming.
You store your clothes under the bed, because your closet is full of books and papers.
You have traced every one of your ancestral lines back to the Cro-Magnons, have it documented and still don't want to quit.
Some Random Thoughts on Genealogy
My family coat of arms ties at the back....is that normal?
My family tree is a few branches short! All help appreciated
My ancestors must be in a witness protection program!
Shake your family tree and watch the nuts fall!
My hobby is genealogy, I raise dust bunnies as pets.
How can one ancestor cause so much TROUBLE??
I looked into my family tree and found out I was a sap..
I'm not stuck, I'm ancestrally challenged
I'm searching for myself; Have you seen me ?
If only people came with pull-down menus and on-line help...
Isn't genealogy fun? The answer to one problem, leads to two more!
It's 2001... Do you know where your-Great-G. Grandparents are?
A family reunion is an effective form of birth control
A family tree can wither if nobody tends it's roots
A new cousin a day keeps the boredom away
After 30 days, unclaimed ancestors will be adopted
Am I the only person up my tree... sure seems like it
Any family tree produces some lemons, some nuts and a few bad apples
Ever find an ancestor HANGING from the family tree?
FLOOR: The place for storing your priceless genealogy records.
Gene-Allergy: It's a contagious disease, but I love it
Genealogists are time unravelers
Genealogy is like playing hide and seek: They hide... I seek!
Genealogy: Tracing yourself back to better people
"Crazy" is a relative term in my family
A pack rat is hard to live with, but makes a fine ancestor
I want to find ALL of them! So far I only have a few thousand
I Should have asked them BEFORE they died!
I think my ancestors had several "Bad heir" days
I'm always late. My ancestors arrived on the JUNEflower
Only a Genealogist regards a step backwards, as progress
Share your knowledge, it is a way to achieve immortality
Heredity: Everyone believes in it until their children act like fools!
It's an unusual family that hath neither a lady of the evening or athief.
Many a family tree needs pruning
Shh! Be very, very quiet.... I'm hunting forebears.
Snobs talk as if they had begotten their own ancestors!
That's strange: half my ancestors are WOMEN!
I'm not sick, I've just got fading genes
Genealogists live in the past lane
Cousins marrying cousins: Very tangled roots!
Cousins marrying cousins: A non-branching family tree
Alright! Everybody out of the gene pool!
Always willing to share my ignorance....
Documentation...The hardest part of genealogy
Genealogy: Chasing your own tale!
Genealogy...will I ever find time to mow the lawn again?
That's the problem with the gene pool: NO Lifeguards
I researched my family tree... and apparently I don't exist!
SO MANY ANCESTORS...........................SO LITTLE TIME!
