Originally Posted by
Asturias56
I've dabbled in Family History and seen the same effect - people's memories change and when they are related 2nd or 3rd hand they become quite unreliable - often a useful guide as to where to go and look but the actual dates and facts are often skewed badly
Not even that many generations apart. My Grandfather was in the army at around the turn of the 18-19th century, but denied having gone to the Boer war. However, one of his friends told my father and uncle that he definitely had. There's no one by his name on the nominal roll, but it's possible he changed his name for some reason - it seems there was some sort of family estrangement. Another family member claims that he went to Sydney University, but they have no record of him. Where does the truth lie? Who knows, and it's unlikely we ever will.