More from the Trans-Miss

I have now typed out two articles from the old Trans-Mississippian and a few things have become clear.

One is that what I have is not really in very good shape, so it's now or never. Can I give it, as is, to someone who will type it or scan it better than I can? It strikes me as being almost unable to survive another move. It crinkles when I touch it. another is that the print is so small that i am becoming unable to read it without visual help, i.e. a magnifying glass or something. it is not easy to type it out on paper.

I have three full volumes of it, but recently founnd two more and there is a chance I have more that I don't know about. The Council Bluffs Public Library has not answered my query. I have two copies of the first issue, Feb. 1897, both crinkly. In Dec. 1897 he seems to have gone to a smaller format, half-size, or a single sheet of 8 1/2 by 11 rather than being the whole cover, now folded over sideways. So I have Dec. 1897, the first of the small ones, then found two other small ones from August 1898, both August but different.

It seems, though I'm not sure, that one of those is a special edition created just for the peak of the exhibition season. This might explain then how they seem to have the same date and everything yet be entirely different; I haven't fully examined them yet. Both are crinkly. I'm not sure if I have any more anywhere but will keep looking.

there are places i have yet to look.

Articles from the old Trans-Mississippian

Along comes the question of whether I should do more to preserve the articles from the old Trans-Mississippian.

Will Leverett was the editor and publisher of the Trans-Mississippian, which had a brief life from February 1897 until I'm not sure when exactly, but not more than two or three years. It published monthly. It had a historical bent - he did, really - and some of the better, longer articles are historical, but not written by him.

I have only three editions in front of me. Two are the size of standard paper but one is significantly smaller. I'm not sure if I have more in the crates of genealogical information that I have preserved. I am using one or two articles in the book I am writing about Will and that period of history. Those of course will be saved - I will type the second one out as soon as possible. My plan was to put those two in the back of the book.

The question really gets to whether the Trans-Mississippian is available anywhere else. At one point I believe I found a library that had copies of it. Maybe the next step is to go visit that library (Omaha?) and inquire if anything is being done to save those copies.

We are in the generation where, if one takes crinkly old paper documents like these, and pitches them, they are lost forever. One article that is in question is written by D.C. Bloomer, husband of Amelia Bloomer. He was an interesting character, a Council Bluffs supporter, and my dad's elementary school was named for him. His article is about the early days of Council Bluffs. I really have no idea whether 1) he has anything in there that isn't already known; 2) there is another copy of Vol. 1 No. 1 out there in the Omaha library or elsewhere, or 3) whether the article can be considered accurate and good writing. He was a reputable man; he had no enemies that I know of in his historical arena.

My sense is that I should gather what I can find, and see if any such copies exist in Omaha or elesewhere. It is after all my great grandfather's legacy.

And put pictures of it on this blog.