Some months back I was contacted by the granddaughter of one of the members of the Dillinger Squad. It's only one of many that I've had with families of the depression era's FBI.
Her story about "grand dad" came from her own father who of course was the brother of this agent and as we know, many of the stories are carried down from immediate family members. The problem with this story is that her dad had either misinterpreted what his brother had done back in the 30s or had been told inaccurate stories from others. As much as I hated to tell the young lady, the "Truth" of what her grandfather had done was not even close to what she had been told.
The story as relayed to me by her about grand dad shooting and killing Dillinger was exciting but the downside is, it simply wasn't true. Her grandfather was present at the Biograph that night as an agent assigned to the Chicago FBI office. However, statements by others present, coupled with the original sketch of where everyone was, and much more revealed her grandfather was not only not involved in the actual shooting, but wasn't in a position to shoot anyhow. Unless of course everyone else there that night is wrong! I don't think so......
Stories of exaggerated facts are common with history and families. People are people and it happens; not done purposely. Her's was no different than some others I've heard throughout the years.
My message here is simple: Family stories, photos and documents are no doubt treasured pieces in a long ago puzzle that sometimes is pretty sketchy to say the least. Many times, they provide the missing clues. But be careful of these stories and check them with other relatives, family friends and local and Federal historical records if available. See what other writers, researchers and the like have said about the subject and/or your relative's participation.
If you're serious about your family's role in history, make sure it's accurate!
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