Fonds 390 Tom Paul family fonds

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Summary information

Administrative history / Biographical sketch

Thomas William Holmes Paul was born in 1894. As a fifteen-year-old living in Fort Saskatchewan, Tom Paul met Dr. Forbes, the Presbyterian minister there. Tom was waiting to turn sixteen when he could start an apprenticeship with Burman & Frith, an electrical company in Edmonton. The minister needed someone to drive a team for him on a trip to Grande Prairie so he took the job, intending to return before May of that year. The trip turned out to be an exciting, scary adventure but Tom became an experienced wagon driver and stayed with the Forbes in Grande Prairie. He drove the Edson Trail five times, walked it three times, and made one trip with oxen in the following years and experienced many encounters with danger. In December of 1915, he walked out to Edson in 7 1/2 days in order to enlist for WWI. When he got to the recruiting office, he passed inspection but the officer mentioned his feet were puffed and swollen. By this time he was 21, with the deed to a homestead in his pocket. Over three years later, he returned to his homestead NW 2-72-6 W6 to build a home.

Custodial history

The records were donated to the South Peace Regional Archives by Tom Paul’s grandson, Kenneth Paul in 2010.

Scope and content

The fonds consists of a sound recording of stories from notes left by Thomas William Paul and read by his grandson Kenneth Paul. A copy of transcribed notes is included. The interviewer is Brenda Kreller of the Edson Trail Painters.

Notes

Title notes

• Source of title proper: Title of fonds based on contents.

Access points

• Textual record (documentary form)
• Sound recording (documentary form)
• Land, settlement and immigration* (subject)
• Transportation (subject)

Series descriptions