The Story of a Village Community Author:H.O. Severance When asked when to begin writing the history of a village, A.L. Humphreys in his book "How to Write a Village History" replied that you should — ...begin when you have fallen in love with a village and not before. You can fall in love with a pretty or attractive village just as you can, if you are a man fall in love with a pretty or attractive wo... more »man... In other words, the writing or a village history is an entirely high-class love-affair.
As you glance through the pages of this book, you might agree with us that Henry Ormal Severance was in love with his hometown, and because of this affection, he has been able to capture the flavor of a 19th century farm community in this unique folk history.
We were anxious to reproduce the book because the "folk" of a small village community symbolizes the essence of America. We offer here in its original text-- only the photos have been added-- the Severance account. While some would want to update a 1931 history, we feel it would be dangerous to tamper with another man's love affair.