DEAR TOM AND PAUL
It’s with a heavy heart that I start this month’s edition of ‘Dear Paul’, after hearing of the sad loss of Tom Wood, the originator and the true inspiration for this column. The ‘Dear Tom’ column was a feature in the magazine for many years and Tom’s warm heart and kind nature endeared him to Family Tree readers everywhere, with the ‘Dear Tom’ column quickly becoming a firm favourite. I would like to personally pass on my sincere condolences to Tom’s family and friends and thank Tom for being a true family history inspiration to us all.
I would also like to wish a belated Happy New Year to all the ‘Dear Paul’ readers and welcome you to this special Valentine’s edition. Love is certainly in the air this month.
Let’s start off with a few examples of how not to do your family history as we look at how our ancestors maybe stretched the truth slightly with what they told us.
Dr Christopher Morris wrote to me with this wonderful example of how his grandfather’s stories were, shall we say, elaborated on, within his family. He writes: ‘Family lore has it that my grandfather was a merchant seaman aboard a ship in San Francisco harbour when the earthquake struck in 1906. A great story, but sadly not true. By this time, he was a municipal baths attendant in Toxteth, Liverpool. It wasn’t even a swimming pool, just a
