Third Souvenir Main Page

Excerpts from Francis 

C. Waid's Third Souvenir

Submitted by David M. Waid 

From the office of the Saturday Times, Frewsburg, N. Y.: "Accept our thanks for the copy of your Souvenir recently sent us. We have read it with profit and pleasure. Long life to the writer!" P. P. J.

From Phebe C. Jones, Buffalo, N. Y., a life-long friend and old pupil, I received a welcome letter of acknowledgment, in which she pays a touching tribute to the memory of my dead wife, Eliza, with whom she was well acquainted. Space will permit me of here, however, giving but a brief extract: "Your beautiful Second Souvenir is received, and I have read both it and your First Souvenir with pleasure and profit. While perusing them my mind reverted naturally to old scenes and incidents, and I can not remember when I did not know you, as you are a few years older than myself. You taught the Moore school, and I was one of your pupils, and here let me thank you, for you were the one that taught me to read more than any teacher I can remember of. Then afterward I commenced teaching, myself, and you were married and settled down to farming, and had sons whom you sent to my school. You always set us a good example, and your good works have followed you."

From Clarence E. Judd, Chagrin Falls, Ohio: "I feel highly gratified at being remembered by you in the gift of your Souvenir, and return my sincere thanks for the same. Our lives are much alike, running on parallel lines, and we can help each other. This thought ought to strengthen and encourage us for the trials and struggles in which we must daily engage."

D. S. Keep, of Ellendale, Dak., writes: "I received your Souvenir in due time, and have read it through. My wife appreciates your present fully as much as I, for she and your first wife, Eliza C., were schoolmates in their younger days. She thinks her picture in the Souvenir very good. She often speaks of Eliza and her sister, Mrs. Jane Cutshall, for they were both dear friends of hers. You will please accept our sincere thanks for the Souvenir, and I expect in the near future to grasp you by the hand and thank you personally."

"The New York Historical Society has received Second Souvenir of Francis C. Waid, containing Family and Personal Reminiscences, also Essays, Treatises and Memoirs, together with Appendix, including personal sketches and miscellanea. A gift from Francis C. Waid, Esq., for which I am instructed to return a grateful acknowledgment.- William Kelby, Assistant Librarian.- Library: Second Avenue, corner of Eleventh Street, New York City, March 18, 1891."

From Mr. and Mrs. Kellogg, of Blooming Valley, Penn.: "Received your Souvenir with gladness and can not tell how much pleasuire it gave us to be so kindly remembered by a friend and neighbor, as well as former teacher. We sincerely thank you for both Souvenirs which we value much. Shall read them carefully, and try to be benefited by them."

From Smith and Orpha Leonard, Meadville, Penn., comes the following: "We acknowledge with much pleasure the receipt of your most interesting book--Second Souvenir. A great many familiar faces look out at us from its pages, making its reading pleasant in every word. In returning our thanks to you for the volume, we wish to add our congratulations for the interest and excellecy of the work, with wishes that your future years may be long and most pleasant, and that prosperity may come generously to you."

Rev. J. W. Lewis, of Pleasantville, Penn., writes: "Accept my many thanks for the Souvenir you sent me. I have read it through, and was much interested. I did not know till now there was so much of the author about you. I sent the book to my son Edward, who is in Dakota, and he writes that he is delighted with it, and sends many thanks."

Mrs. Maria Lord and her nephew, A. F. Leonard, thus express themselves: "Allow me to thank you on behalf of my aunt, Maria Lord, for your book, Souvenir, with which she was very much pleased. I have also looked through the Souvenir, and think the advice to young men very good. I will try and profit by it, and hope that many more may do the same."--A. F. LEONARD.

J. J. McCanlis writes from New York: "Your very interesting Souvenir was received, for which please accept thanks. It is a good book for every youth in the land to read, that he may learn the value of early economy and industry."

From Rev. Hamilton R. McClintock, of Meadville, Penn.: "Some time ago I had the pleasure of receiving a copy of your excellently written Second Souvenir, containing, I assure you, very many interesting things, which will be much more so in years to come to many of your intimate friends. When they can not talk to you about loved ones that have long since been in their tombs, they can turn to this book and learn when and where such a loved one lived and died; and also learn of Divine truths which are as pearls that I pray may continue to drop into precious and immortal souls through this your right and choice of using your money to do good. May your noble ambition be realized to the fullest extent."

Mary McCullough, of Blooming Valley, Penn., writes kindly: "Some one has said, and truly, too, that 'A book is next to a friend;' and in acknowledging the receipt of your Second Souvenir I am reminded that I possess both book and friend, for which I tender many thanks."

Geo. W. McCullough, of Blooming Valley, Penn., writes: "I received your gift, Second Souvenir, and was pleased to find you had not forgotten the tie of friendship for the once little boy who many years ago sat on the low front seat in the school, and was the first to give chase when the teacher, Francis C.Waid (after distributing half a bag of apples among the bigger boys and girls at Christmas) told us smaller boys to catch him for the rest of the apples! Many thanks for the book and the good advice contained therein."

From A. R. McGill, Minneapolis, Minn.: "The book which you so kindly sent me has been received. Please accept my warmest thanks for so kindly remembering me. It is a book which bears strong testimony to both your industry and intelligence; and I am glad to possess it."

Bishop Willard F. Mallalieu, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, New Orleans, writes from Montpelier, Vt, April 22, 1891, as follows: "Yours of April 10th to hand, forwarded from New Orleans to this place where I am holding the Vermont Conference. I remember with great thankfulness the days of blessing spent at Oil City last fall. I am glad the grace you then received still cheers your heart. I hope, as the years go on, God may still continue to enrich your life with all spiritual mercies. I saw a volume of your Souvenir, and read quite a number of pages with great interest. I have always had a taste for such subjects as are treated of in the book. I shall be pleased to see the volume you have sent when I return to New Orleans."

From, H. P. Marley, Meadville, Penn.: "I have just found on the desk at the office your Second Souvenir, for which I wish you to accept my heartfelt thanks. I have derived much pleasure as well as profit from the perusal of your First Souvenir, and have no doubt but I shall also from this one. At any rate I am much pleased with its outward appearance, and shall be pleased to try and profit by its contents."

From Joseph Marsh, Ottawa, Kas.: "Please accept my thanks for the book you sent me. Best wishes to you and yours."

Willis Masiker writes from Lansing, Iowa: "The Souvenir you sent me I received with much pleasure, for it reminds me much of old Crawford County, home, relatives and friends that are dear to me. I enjoy the reading of it so much that I cannot find words to express my appreciation; indeed I prize it highly, and I heartily thank you."

B. J. Matteson, superintendent of Randolph Baptist Sabbath-school, writes from Guy's Mills, Penn.: "A unanimous vote was passed thanking you for the book you so kindly sent to the Randolph Baptist Sabbath-school."

S. Merrell, Meadville, Penn., writes: "I have just received your Second Souvenir so kindly presented me, and I assure you it is with much pleasure I acknowledge receipt of it. I find much in it to instruct and interest, and especially so as coming from one and produced by one I esteem so highly. Many thanks for the favor."

S. S. Michael, of Mercer, Penn., writes as follows: "The copy of the Second Souvenir you kindly sent me came to hand some time ago. Please accept my thanks for your courtesy, and my apology for the tardiness of this acknowledgment."

Ira C. Miller, of Davidson Station, Mich., writes: "I received your book and return my sincere thanks for the same, which I place in my incomplete library for use as a valued gift. I also feel very thankful to hear that you are a friend to my brother, D. H. Miller, who has been so long in poor health, for I believe in my heart that you will do him good in his declining years."

From P. E. Miller, Frewsburg, N. Y.: "I hereby acknowledge receipt of your Souvenir of 1890, for which accept my kindest thanks. I have read it with pleasure as well as profit to myself and family. It brings to my memory scenes of my early days when I with an ox-team traveled from Miller's Station to Venango, Woodcock and Meadville, when my father, who is now eighty-four years old, sent me to mill and to buy groceries. I regret that I was not one of the fortunate ones to receive your First Souvenir, however that was a misfortune that came by not being acquainted with our neighbors."

C. C. Minton, cashier of First National Bank, Ottawa, Kas., writes: "I am in receipt of the Souvenir for which please accept my hearty thanks. I shall peruse it with interest. I realize that this book is published in the interest of relatives and friends, and it gives me great pleasure to be classed among your ' friends.'"

J. H. Montgomery, professor of physics and chemistry, Allegheny College, writes: "If a book comes into my house I welcome it as a friend, and when your Souvenir was laid on my table I was very much pleased. Your kindness is appreciated. I have been thinking about the sound business advice which you give, and also of the many unselfish acts of kindness you have done; and I believe you have solved the problem, for yourself, of being contented and happy."

My cousin, C. C. Morehead, writes as follows from Townville, Penn.: "My mother [My respected, aged Aunt Clarinda Morehead.--F. C. Waid.] desires me to say to you that she thinks very much of the books you sent her--your First and Second Souvenirs--that she has read them through twice, and that she takes a great deal of comfort in reading them. 'God bless you, and may you continue to do good,' is her earnest prayer. I write this on my thirty-eighth birthday. Your First and Second Souvenir I think are good books. I would not take a great deal for them; they fill the place intended--a token of remembrance, a gift of friendship, a keepsake--and will do anyone good who reads them. And then they do not get old; as you say, ' the common things of life are useful every day.'"

My cousins, Steven and Mary Morehead, of Minier, Ill., write as follows: "We received your welcome letter and Second Souvenir with real pleasure. We read it every chance we can get, and oh! it is so full of interesting points. Very many thanks, dear cousin, for this valuable book, which money could not buy; we will keep it in remembrance of you as long as we live."

From Addie Ogden, Olean, N. Y.: "I received your very interesting book, and was most glad as well as pleased to get it. I have been looking into it a great deal, and every time read something so interesting that it is almost impossible for me to lay it aside and do my household duties. I am very much pleased with it, and hope you will accept our thanks, as my husband thinks it is a very nice gift. I feel as though I were indebted to you for it, you can not imagine the comfort we both take in reading it."

Charles H. Pennypacker writes from West Chester, Penn.: "Your book is the product of a careful, thoughtful and Christian man. In many of its personal details it may be the subject of criticism, but modern taste, as evidenced by the Memoirs of General Sherman, and 'the remarks' of Thomas Carlyle as selected by Mr. Froude, seem to justify this style of narrative. I congratulate you upon your success in life, and trust you may live long and prosper."

B. L. Perry, of Centreville, Tenn., writes: "The M. E. Sabbath-school at Riceville desire that I send you their gratitude as expressed in a rising unanimous vote August 24, for the gift of your Second Souvenir."

N. S. Phelps, of Marion, Minn., writes a lengthy and interesting letter, from which I give a brief extract: "Having received your Second Souvenir, I thought I must write to you and acknowledge your kindness in sending both books without anything from me. I am well pleased with them, and like to peruse them, as they tell of many persons and places I have been acquainted with, and recall old times to me. The several views presented in the Souvenir are very realistic, and of special interest to me is the Old State Road Church, the spot most sacred to me of all, where God came down in power to save hundreds of souls--the place where I consecrated myself to Him, and He owned me as His child. You must have bestowed a large amount of time and thought upon your Souvenirs, and truly they are interesting to me, and must be to all who were acquainted with the people and places spoken of."

T. W. Phelps writes from Chester, as follows: "I received a copy of your Second Souvenir and am more than pleased with it, it is worth thousands to a family, and I recommend it to my boy and girls. My mother-in-law, Hetty Hoover, is reading it, and says she will buy a copy for her children and grandchildren to read, if for sale; and my wife's uncle, a retired merchant of Springfield, Ill., who is at my place, has read the Souvenir half through, and says it is a grand book for young people. May God repay your efforts--we can not."

Mr. and Mrs. V. H. Pierce, of Jamestown, N. Y., say in substance as follows: "We thank you for the gift, your Souvenir, which we prize very highly, and shall cherish in years to come. Hon. Jerome Babcock, in speaking of the book, commended it highly, saying it was a great undertaking, and must have taken much time and experience."

From D. S. Ploof, Blooming Valley: "With pleasure I thank you for the Souvenir I received from you. I have read it through, and find it full of benefits for this life and for the life to come. It is a book that should be read by old and young in Crawford County, for you, the author, are known to every intelligent reader in the county and far beyond. In it I find much to remind me of my younger days, especially the happy year I spent with your uncle, Joseph Finney, and his wife at their home, and the friendships that existed between your brother Lyman and myself."

Rev. H. L. Powers, pastor of Trinity Church, Grand Island, Neb., writes very fraternally: "Your kind favor in sending me such an interesting book of your life I prize very highly. I shall read and reread its pages with delight, and as I do so I will remember your earliest and kind prayers for our success in building our church. I admire your style of portraying real life; few men are gifted with such descriptive powers as you possess. I would be glad if your book could find its way into thousands of homes; 'nay, but it will.' Such books will live to bless the nations when the writer has gone to his reward. Now, dear brother, accept our kind regards for the book--it will find a safe place in my library and study room."

From Mr. and Mrs. F. G. Richardson, of Blooming Valley: "Please accept our many thanks for the volume you sent us. We find it very instructive, and take great pleasure in reading it. Also accept through us the Doctor's [Dr. G. W. Weter, of Grand Island, Neb. My thanks are due to Mrs. Richardson for taking several copies of my Souvenir to Grand Island, when she went on a visit to Dr. Weter (her son-in-law) in September, 1890.--F. C. WAID.] thanks for his copy of the Souvenir which I know he and his family appreciate, coming as it does from such a friend as you have been to them."

From Andrew Rider, of Blooming Valley, Penn., comes the following: "I received your book, and am much pleased with it, for it brings back many things to our memory in reading it. I will never cease to remember the pleasant associations of our past lives, and the many kind acts I have received at your hands. I also remember your father, Ira C. Waid. I will cherish your gift as coming from a true friend. Accept my warmest thanks, and remember me as a constant friend."

From J. E. Robbins, Mound City, Dak.: "With great pleasure I write you to thank you for your kind remembrance in sending your Second Souvenir, which I highly appreciate. It brings to my memory our school days of fifty years ago, when we went to the old Cowen school-house; and it seenm but yesterday that you taught at Blooming Valley, where I attended my last term at school. How well I remember the protracted meeting held at State Road in 1850-51! I regret I did not start then, but I am glad my life has been spared, and that I have chosen the good way now. May you keep on in your good work; it brings many interesting thoughts of former years to our minds."

Cena Rodgers, an old schoolmate, writes from Lake City, Minn.: "Many thanks to you for the book you sent me. I assure you that your kindness will not be forgotten by your friend. Zack's book came along with mine, and I am sure he, too, will be much pleased with the Souvenir.

From L. J. Rogers, Beloit, Wis.: "I received your book yesterday, and thank you very much for the kind remembrance. Hope some day to return the compliment. I prize it very much, and shall read it with pleasure."

From A. Rushlander, of Blooming Valley: "Please accept my thanks for the Souvenir you gave my son for me. I have never yet received any present that has given me more pleasure. I shall read every line with interest, the more so on account of being personally acquainted with several of those made mention of in the book, many of whom were my friends and near neighbors."

My niece, Sarah E. Russell, writes from Cleveland, Ohio: "It has been a long time since I received the book you sent me, and for which I express my thanks. I was so pleased with it, not only on account of its value, but also for your kindly remembering me. I have read it and like it very much, although I had to shed tears many times when I came to places where dear Aunt Eliza was spoken of. But your description of things you have seen and places you have visited are so vivid and real that I almost imagine I am seeing them myself. Lynn [her young son] has read some of the book lately, and declares it good, and I know that if all the books he reads are as good as that one, his mind will never be poisoned with bad literature."

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