Picture this scenario, if you will please.  James Brown is 55 years old and a Methodist circuit rider in very rural Wisconsin in about 1870. He felt “called” and loaded up his saddle bags on Old Nellie and set off to preach the gospel.  When Grandpa James was 75, and was a widower and getting somewhat feeble, he went to live with his daughter in St. Louis, Missouri. He had kept all his saddle-bag-books of his sermon notes and the baptisms and marriages he performed.  When he died, Daughter gathered up all his stuff (at his insistence) and carted them off, along with him, to her home in St.Louis. Years pass, James’ books and papers get “lost” in a box somewhere. Finally in about 1995, a granddaughter, who is very interested in her family history, stumbled upon the box and is delighted beyond words! Records written in her gggg-grandfather’s own hand! 

After the gggg-daughter enjoys and extracts information from Grandpa Brown’s records, she realizes the importance of them. They must be preserved and made available, she reasons. Ans she’s right. So she gives them to her local genealogical society and they publish abstracts from the records in their (Missouri) periodical. Obviously, far from Wisconsin! 

Why am I sharing this scenario/story? Because if James Brown was YOUR ancestor and you never knew where he died, and, more importantly, what happened to his religious records, you would be so happy to find out, wouldn’t you? 

The above image is from a family surname periodical, the Adams Agenda, this issue published in 1979. This publication contained mostly Adams-surname information but there were other goodies. I know you cannot read it, but catch this: “Genealogy of Capt. John Johnson,” or “Norris, Hackett, Prescott & Allied Families.” Or “Some Descendants of Philip Sherman.”

While a surname-oriented periodical might not be your best “bingo,” I know there is a St. Louis Genealogical Society which has a periodic publication. Might/could have James Brown’s Wisconsin records be published there, in St.Louis, Missouri? And, most importantly, would you think to look there for that information?

I really urge you to learn about PERSI (Periodical Source Index) and use it. This is where you’ll find indexed all the genealogy-related periodicals that the Allen County Public Library (aka Fort Wayne) could/can locate. Click to the FamilySearch.org/WIKI and ask for PERSI. Self-education will bring great rewards, I guarantee. 

Some time back, Joan Mamanakis of the Cheney Historical Society gave me a box of papers. Seems these had just been left on the Society’s doorstep and so Joan had no idea where/who they came from. They were all sorts of business and personal papers of a family that had lived in Cheney. I tracked down a descendant and passed most of the box full on to them. One letter I just had to share, the letter to new-father Frank Parker from most likely his father. Since Father’s Day is  upon us, I thought it was a timely piece. 

This was a hand-written letter to “Frankie” (Frank Parker) and unsigned and undated.

Dear Frankie,

Being as how we fathers has been through the mill and you ain’t, here’s some powerful good advice that’s been writ and prepared for an expectant father or papa.

1.     Never take the little chap and whirl him around by the heels until he’s a month or 6 weeks old, cause you might hit his head against a chair and break up the furniture.

2.    Never hold him up high and let him look down on your cause he might lose is lunch and you’d gain one.

3.    When you put the three corners on him be careful you don’t stick your fingers. If you stick him, he’ll let you know about it, if you stick yourself he won’t need to.

4.    When he gets colic use a board and not your hand. You won’t have to get up so often.

5.    If you want the baby to suck its  thumb just help a little by putting its thumb in your mouth and it will soon learn.

6.    Don’t let them kid you it’s a He for it might be a She.

7.    When you have to get up in the middle of the night to fix the baby’s bottle then you’ll begin to wonder.