I was nine years old on my first day of school. Polio at one year of age made it impossible for me to walk to school, as all rural kids had to do then. At this time we had rented a farm only a quarter mile from the school. My sis had taught me to write my name and count. My siblings pulled me to the one-room schoolhouse in a sturdy child’s wagon, and as we became acquainted with the kids there, I was treated just like the rest. My wagon went up the aisle where I transferred to a seat shared by another. I made two grades the first year and two the second year. At age thirteen, I was in the seventh grade up with my peers.
Jewell Cooper
Bolivar, 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.
