ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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This Biography was originally printed in 1875. It was found among some effects by O.H. Johnson on a visit to his home town, Gallipolis, Ohio, in 1938. Mr. Johnson mistakenly thought the author was his great-grandmother. In fact she was married to his great-grandfathers brother. Nevertheless, Orien H. Johnson had this marvelous story reprinted by his printing company, Union Publishing Company, Phoenix, AZ on 1 April 1940.

The copy of Mr. Johnson's book which I possess was found by our neighbor across the street, on Davis St. in Huntington, West Virginia, by a Mrs. Notter. She found it among her effects about 1946. Knowing that my mother's maiden name was Trowbridge, she gave the booklet to mother. Because I was the only one very interested in the book mother gave it to me, or perhaps I just confiscated it. I labored under the impression that the narrative was authored by an ancestor until 1972 when I discovered "The Trowbridge Genealogy" in the Boston, Mass. Public Library. Research into the genealogy of the Trowbridge's via this tremendous volume revealed that the Grandma who authored this precious tale was married to my, and to Mr.Johnson's, ancestor's brother, who also lived in the same vicinity as our story teller. The original book which I have is now in poor shape, but I managed to scan and OCR the text into a word processor and can now reprint it once more in a highly legible presentation. I have attempted to maintain the original text as I found it, including the unique spelling, punctuation and paragraphing which I feel add to the overall charm of her story. I want to acknowledge O.H. Johnson for preserving this valuable book for us and give thanks to him for his effort. Since Mr. Johnson was born in 1888, I assume he has departed this earth, but -- Thanks Orien!.

This tale is history as recorded by a living pioneer woman, not a scholarly historian or a self serving politician. This is a tale of the real world of the pioneer families who built this great nation of ours, the United States of America. Her tale is not organized properly and she is obviously not educated in the manner of a person who writes for a living. These attributes are a great deal of the charm of Grandma's narrative, for it is not the effort of a writer, but of a pioneer woman. A woman who bore and raised twelve children, helped her husband and worked for her family under the primitive circumstances of pioneer America. Sophronia Howe Trowbridge was eighty-four years old when she wrote this lovely tale. I only hope that I might be half so intelligent and perceptive as she, when I reach that age.

I hope others find this story of a pioneer woman and her family as charming as I do..

Arthur D. Steele, Jr.
14 March, 1996