The Civil War: Neighbor's Lunch Meat Wasn't What Father Thought It Was

During the Civil War, living in Texas as a small 12-year-old boy, my father went to play with a neighbor widow's two boys. At noon, the mother called them in to eat lunch, which consisted of fried meat and bread, which he enjoyed. In the middle of the afternoon, she called again to the boys to go kill some more rats for their evening meal. My father's appetite quickly disappeared for the squirrel he had eaten at noon, so he went home.

Mrs. Paul Boyd
Ardmore, Oklahoma

Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then CAPPER’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from CAPPER’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.