Have you ever wondered who the REAL Tiny Tim Cratchit and Little Paul Dombey characters were based on? It was Charles Dickens nephew Henry "Harry" Augustus Burnett (1839 - 1849) who was the son of his favorite sister Frances "Fanny" Elizabeth Burnett (1810 -1848). Both Harry and Fanny died of tuberculosis, Harry's a progressive, insidious form of spinal TB.

With the assistance of a genealogist/researcher in Manchester, UK (where Harry lived with his parents and one brother), I have found quite a bit of material, photos and primary source material. Both Fanny and her husband were talented musicians and had met at the Royal Academy of Music in London, married, and moved to Manchester where Henry Burnett (Harry's father) obtained a position of Professor of Music ay Manchester College. Fanny taught music to students at home.