"Where could I get a copy of Grandfather Hancock's book?" This question has been asked many times through the years among the descendants of G. B. Hancock. In reality, a book as such, did not exist. What had commonly become known as his "book" was a collection of writings that were published in a religious journal referred to as the "O. R." I have been unable to determine what the abbreviation denotes.
As each installment appeared, it was clipped and lovingly pasted in a scrapbook by his daughter, Sally Pearl. Aunt Pearl, as she was known, died Nov. 13, 1905, and the scrapbook became the precious possession of her only child, Pearl, who so graciously loaned it to this writer for copying, that it might be finally published and shared with all the descendants of this remarkable man.
The articles have been copied exactly as they appeared in the scrapbook. Each installment is treated as a chapter. The work has been carefully proofread and all punctuation, capitalization, spelling and abbreviation is the author's. Due to the great age of the scrapbook a few words were not discernible, and they have been left to the reader's imagination, indicated by broken lines.
This little book has been published with an eye to economy and for this reason the type was not set by the printer, but was photographed exactly as it came from my typewriter. It is hoped this small irregularity will be completely overshadowed by the interesting and sometimes fascinating contents of the script as it flowed from the pen of the author.
It has been a privilege to have had a part in bringing this work to publication that it might be enjoyed by all who so desire. We deeply appreciate the generosity of Pearl Williams Wilson in making it possible by sharing her scrapbook and also the Hancock family picture.
