The Goode life: family history fun with Dear Tom

Family historians enjoy a genealogical mystery and in Family Tree we love to share our readers' stories of family history wonders, gems and funnies. You'll find such snippets collected from all over the world by stalwart family historian Tom Wood in his hugely popular Dear Tom column.

Many of our readers send us family history stories gleaned from their genealogical searches, such as Josephine Pegg, who wrote into Tom recently with a fascinating news article, which we have published in our April 2018 issue.

Josephine tells us about a remarkable financial reward that was reported to have been made to her husband’s 4x great-grandfather, Thomas Goode. He was awarded £2 for having worked on the same farm for 54 years without claiming any parish relief.

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The news appeared in the Leicestershire Mercury under the heading ‘Leicester Agricultural Society’ on 3 December 1836, and reads: ‘To the farm labourer, whether married or single who has worked the longest time on the same farm, or with the same master or mistress, and has never received parish relief, except in sickness, and the amount so received is to be dated in the claim... To Thomas Goode labourer to Mr John Gregory, of Glenn Parva, for having worked with him and his predecessors on the same farm for fifty-four years; is in his eightieth year, steady, sober, industrious, a regular attendant at Church and, for four years after he was married, maintained his wife’s father; never had relief, 2nd premium of £2.’

Don't miss these other family history funnies from Dear Tom:

• Pew what a palaver! Family history fun with Dear Tom

• Twin trouble! More family history trouble with Dear Tom

In 1836, £2 was quite a substantial amount of money, though perhaps not enough to survive on for too long. Has anyone else heard of similar financial rewards made to ancestors on your own family trees?

• Have you got a genealogical gem for Dear Tom? Email us or comment on our Facebook or Twitter pages and we'll pass your snippets on for Tom's consideration. 

Illustration © Ellie Keeble for Family Tree.