THE MYSTERIES OF THE PIONEER MAGAZINE
Brenda Kellow
July 3, 2011
The history of Collin County is rich and colorful. A large portion of it has been researched and documented but much of its history remains a mystery. Two Collin County historians are working to solve one mystery and receive a Historical Marker for the Wysong Cemetery.
Diane Miller is writing the memorial marker application for the Charles Hopkins Wysong blacksmith shop. He built the shop with the help of his brothers-in-laws, I. N. and James H. Foster It was operational from 1852-1886 until it was destroyed by a cyclone. The shop also served as the Highland Post Office with I. N. Foster as the first Post Master, succeeded by Mr. Wysong.
Page Thomas is searching for the picture of the shop remains supposed to be in the October 1903 issue of “The Pioneer Magazine.” There are only two known copies in existence today. One is the 100-page issue of 1904 housed in the History Museum (The Old Post Office Museum) that only Ted Wright and Vickie have seen. The other is volume 1, Dec. 1903, number 4 as mentioned in the McKinney Herald Blogspot, mckinneyherald.blogspot.com. He speculates that copies remain today hidden away in old trunks or stored in boxes in attics and closets. This magazine is extremely important to his research paper.
Page told me, “The Pioneer Magazine seems to be a national, subscription type of publication. There are ads for the St. Louis World's Fair, a St. Louis Hotel, a Chicago company ad and a California company ad and many other ads in the two advertisement sections at the beginning and end of the book. Very few ads are for Collin County. Most of the stories are not about McKinney or Collin County and are about topics designed to appeal to a broad group of people's interests. There are stories for women and children. There are stories about authors and books. There is a two-story house plan. It is quite diverse. I could not find a publisher's name, except for McKinney Publishing Company.”
The Pioneer Magazine was published by the McKinney Printing Company operating from 1902-1904. Page says there seems to be another mystery as no record of its existence or any record that there was a McKinney Printing Company in the county.
By accessing a stash of The Pioneer Magazine publication, Page believes he will be able to uncover the lives of our early settlers as well as demystify the magazine’s existence and that of the McKinney Printing Company.
Readers may be interested to learn that Page and Diane have been conducting archaeological research on the dirt floor of the blacksmith shop since October 2010, as only the corner post was still standing. They found over 1500 artifacts so far. They film and catalog each item.
If you have any information on the magazine or the printing company will you notify Page at County and introducing other unknowns. [email protected]. Finding copies of the magazine has the potential of unlocking other mysteries of Collin County and unlocking other unknowns.
GENEALOGY CLASS AT COLLIN COLLEGE: Genealogy III—Breaking Down Brick Walls will be offered at Collin College (CCCC) on Tuesday nights (July 26 to August 30) at the Courtyard Campus, Park and Preston, from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. In this class, instructor Barbara Coakley focuses on advanced problems including sorting out people with the same name, finding women ancestors, getting around burned courthouses, using the census before 1850, and analyzing problems. To register for Barbara’s course, visit http://www.collin.edu/ce/.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].
Diane Miller is writing the memorial marker application for the Charles Hopkins Wysong blacksmith shop. He built the shop with the help of his brothers-in-laws, I. N. and James H. Foster It was operational from 1852-1886 until it was destroyed by a cyclone. The shop also served as the Highland Post Office with I. N. Foster as the first Post Master, succeeded by Mr. Wysong.
Page Thomas is searching for the picture of the shop remains supposed to be in the October 1903 issue of “The Pioneer Magazine.” There are only two known copies in existence today. One is the 100-page issue of 1904 housed in the History Museum (The Old Post Office Museum) that only Ted Wright and Vickie have seen. The other is volume 1, Dec. 1903, number 4 as mentioned in the McKinney Herald Blogspot, mckinneyherald.blogspot.com. He speculates that copies remain today hidden away in old trunks or stored in boxes in attics and closets. This magazine is extremely important to his research paper.
Page told me, “The Pioneer Magazine seems to be a national, subscription type of publication. There are ads for the St. Louis World's Fair, a St. Louis Hotel, a Chicago company ad and a California company ad and many other ads in the two advertisement sections at the beginning and end of the book. Very few ads are for Collin County. Most of the stories are not about McKinney or Collin County and are about topics designed to appeal to a broad group of people's interests. There are stories for women and children. There are stories about authors and books. There is a two-story house plan. It is quite diverse. I could not find a publisher's name, except for McKinney Publishing Company.”
The Pioneer Magazine was published by the McKinney Printing Company operating from 1902-1904. Page says there seems to be another mystery as no record of its existence or any record that there was a McKinney Printing Company in the county.
By accessing a stash of The Pioneer Magazine publication, Page believes he will be able to uncover the lives of our early settlers as well as demystify the magazine’s existence and that of the McKinney Printing Company.
Readers may be interested to learn that Page and Diane have been conducting archaeological research on the dirt floor of the blacksmith shop since October 2010, as only the corner post was still standing. They found over 1500 artifacts so far. They film and catalog each item.
If you have any information on the magazine or the printing company will you notify Page at County and introducing other unknowns. [email protected]. Finding copies of the magazine has the potential of unlocking other mysteries of Collin County and unlocking other unknowns.
GENEALOGY CLASS AT COLLIN COLLEGE: Genealogy III—Breaking Down Brick Walls will be offered at Collin College (CCCC) on Tuesday nights (July 26 to August 30) at the Courtyard Campus, Park and Preston, from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. In this class, instructor Barbara Coakley focuses on advanced problems including sorting out people with the same name, finding women ancestors, getting around burned courthouses, using the census before 1850, and analyzing problems. To register for Barbara’s course, visit http://www.collin.edu/ce/.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].