Leora’s Early Years: Guthrie County Roots has become a reality!

During Leora Goff’s early decades, she gathered the tenacity, optimism and hope she would need throughout her long life. When she married Clabe Wilson, they became forged into parents who would shepherd their own family through two more great eras of world and local history–the Great Depression and WWII.

“Dive into these pages and experience adventures akin to Little House on the Prairie meets Our Town” wrote John Busbee, Founder of The Culture Buzz.

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Lee Habeeb wrote the Foreword. He is the founder and host for Our American Stories, heard locally over WHO Radio, but also podcast around the nation.

Lee asked how long I’d like the Foreword. I’m not fond of long ones, so told him that. The very next day I happily read one four pages long, so I quickly sent a note and said to write whatever he wanted. I think it’s longer than any chapter in the book, but is so fascinating.

A poem, “Morrisburg Cemetery,” is by Nicholas Dowd, who grew up in Guthrie Center. Grandma Leora knew his father, who was the town pharmacist at Dowd Drug.

My grandfather Clabe Wilson had a sister, Alice (Wilson) McLuen. I met Alice’s granddaughter, Madeline, last year. Clabe and Alice’s parents (Dan and Georgia Wilson) are our mutual great grandparents. Stories of Clabe’s (and Alice’s) early years are part of the book, as well. It was a delight that they got the first copies of Leora’s Early Years: Guthrie County Roots. 

I’d ordered regular copies for first readers, endorsers, and encouragers, which I mailed out yesterday. I just realized that I didn’t keep a copy, but the “author copies” are to arrive by October 8.

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Autographed copies won’t be available locally until the week of October 10, but paperbacks, hardbacks, and ebooks (any day for ebooks) are “live” now on Amazon.

After October 10, autographed copies will be available in the Des Moines area at Beaverdale Books, the Urbandale Machine Shed Restaurant, and Off the Rails Quilting in Bondurant. Beaverdale Books offers shipping (515-279-5400)

Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
or in the days of your ancestors?

Tell it to your children,
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.

Joel 1:2-3