{"id":10340,"date":"2015-04-24T18:05:50","date_gmt":"2015-04-24T18:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=10340"},"modified":"2026-04-06T11:29:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T15:29:28","slug":"poem-shows-how-much-ethel-maude-colson-loved-her-cat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/poem-shows-how-much-ethel-maude-colson-loved-her-cat.html","title":{"rendered":"Cat Poem by Ethel Maude Colson Shows Her Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

Family historians want more than just vital statistics. Yes, birth, marriage and death dates are important to genealogy \u2013 but once you\u2019ve filled your family tree with names and dates, how much do you really know about your ancestors as real people with individual lives?<\/p>\n

To get to know your ancestors, you need their stories \u2013 and there is no better place to find those stories than in a collection of old newspapers, such as GenealogyBank\u2019s online Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here in the pages of old newspapers, you\u2019ll find your ancestors\u2019 stories in every part of the paper, from news reports to ships\u2019 passenger lists to classified ads. Your ancestor might turn up in a way you never expected, such as a letter to the editor, a recipe submitted in a contest \u2013 or a poem.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a poem published in an 1895 newspaper. Imagine if Ethel Maude Colson was your ancestor, and you knew little about her. Then you find this poem in an old newspaper \u2013 and suddenly you know she was a poet, with a heart filled with such love for her cat \u201cTom\u201d that when he died, she poured her overflowing feelings into verse.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Photo: unidentified woman with her cat. Credit: iStock Photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Her opening stanza sets the tone:<\/p>\n

Poor Tom is dead, and my sad heart grieves,
\nAnd his memory many a thought receives,
\nAnd many a tear I shed the day
\nWhen Tom was laid in the earth away,
\nFor he was faithful to me, and that
\nEarns love alike in a man or cat.
\nAnd not always those we expect love from
\nAre one-half so trusty as poor dead Tom.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Her fourth and final stanza sums up her feelings on her \u201cpoor dead Tom\u201d beautifully:<\/p>\n

They tell me his life for good is o\u2019er,
\nThat I never shall see him or know him more,
\nBut I scarce believe it; the power that made
\nHim faithful alike in the sun and shade
\nWill know how we loved each other, and when
\nMy life is ended, I fancy then
\nWe\u2019ll meet, for the law of love is that
\nWhich binds me close to my poor dead cat.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"poem<\/a>
Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago, Illinois), 4 August 1895, section 3, page 35<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Come take a look today in GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a> and see what poetic gems you can find.<\/p>\n

Create a free account<\/a> at GenealogyBank for 7 days to start your journey and discover the stories your ancestors left behind.<\/p>\n

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