Apparently, genealogists know how to have a little fun with their favorite pastime. Although researching family history can be hard work sometimes, some of the things that genealogists find in their quest for information can be very laugh provoking.
One example of genealogical humor is this list of some funny names that were found in United States Census records. Are any of these people part of your family tree?
Comfort Castle – found in 1830 Columbia County, NY.
Constant Chase – found in 1830 Boston, Suffolk Co, MA.
Noble Crapper – found in 1790 Worcester Co, MD.
Orange Field – found in 1930 Miller County, GA.
Tiny Little – found in 1930 Chattooga County, GA.
Joy Rider – found in 1930 Bennington, Morrow County, OH.
Cotton Tufts – found in 1830 Weymouth, Norfolk Co, MA.
Page Turner – found in 1880 Putnam County, GA.
Frost Snow – found in 1920 Reed Island, Pulaski Co, VA.
Custodians of records and other people that help genealogists with their research hear some funny things from time to time. Since researching family history is a very important part of every day life for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Church maintains a huge genealogy library and searchable web site. The Church also has staff in their Family History Department that can help researchers find the information that they are looking for. Today, I came across a list of funny quotes from actual correspondence that was received by the LDS Family History Department.
Imagine opening a letter that says, “We are sending you five children in a separate envelope”, or “We lost our Grandmother, will you please send us a copy?”. How about “The wife of #22 could not be found. Somebody suggested that she might have been stillborn – what do you think?” These are just a few of the funny quotes on the list, but you get the idea.
What funny things have you seen while researching your family history?