Here's one for you Meg that I found and like. It's called
The Elusive Ancestor
I went searching for an ancestor.
I cannot find him still.
He moved around from place to place
and did not leave a will.
He married where a courthouse burned.
He mended all his fences.
He avoided any man who came
to take the U.S. Census.
He always kept his luggage packed,
this man who had no fame.
And every 20 years or so,
this rascal changed his name.
His parents came from Europe.
They should be upon some list
of passengers to U.S.A.,
but somehow they got missed.
And no one else in this world
is searching for this man.
So, I play geneasolitaire
to find him if I can.
I'm told he's buried in a plot,
with tombstone he was blessed.
But the weather took the engraving,
and some vandals took the rest.
He died before the county clerks
decided to keep records.
No family Bible has emerged,
in spite of all my efforts.
To top it off this ancestor,
who caused me many groans,
Just to give me one more pain,
betrothed a girl named Jones.
By Merrell Kenworthy
At 07:14 PM 07/25/2000 -0500, you wrote:
I hope this isn't a duplicate for too many people, but this was
very
good in describing the nature of the genealogical pox that holds so many
of us :)
Meg
==========
As found in The Librarian's Genealogy Notebook by Dahrl Elizabeth Moore
...
Warning -- Genealogy Pox
Very Contagious to Adults
Symptoms: Continual complaint as to need for names, dates, and places.
Patient has blank expression, sometimes deaf to spouse and children. Has
no taste for work of any kind, except feverishly looking through records
at libraries and courthouses. Has compulsion to write letters. Swears at
mail carrier when he or she doesn't leave mail. Frequents strange places
such as cemeteries, ruins, and remote, desolate country areas. Makes
secret night calls. Hides phone bills from spouse. Mumbles to self. Has
strange, faraway look in eyes.
THERE IS NO KNOWN CURE!
Treatment: Medication is useless. Disease is not fatal but gets
progressively worse. Patient should attend genealogy workshops,
subscribe to genealogical magazines, and be given a quiet corner in the
house when he or she can be alone.
Remarks: The unusual nature of this disease is that the sicker the
patient gets, the more he or she enjoys it.
By An Anonymous Author
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