My mother was born in 1861, the year the War Between the States began, and she told me many stories of the past.
Her father was very progressive. He bought the first wood cookstove in this part of the country, Springfield, Missouri. He and Grandmother were the first in the community to can foods in glass jars.
They were afraid of the jars breaking in the house, so they built a fire outside and cooked apples. Then with the jar in a pan of hot water, they filled it and screwed on the lid. Neighbors from far and wide came to watch. The apples kept.
Mrs. P. M. Dickens
Springfield, Missouri
Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.
