If you have been reading my columns very long you are likely well aware of my passion for preserving the history of the communities I cover. I have always been fascinated with history. As a child I loved checking out new sites, looking for fossils, and imagining all kinds of scenarios surrounding the people who once lived in the places I explored.

So when an opportunity to share significant history with our readers and preserve that history for future generations arises – I jump at it! Recently I have had two such privileges; the story of the 150th anniversary of the Seyerson/Chesley Homestead, and the 50th anniversary of the current Callaway Lutheran Church.

Last week a reader kindly shared with me some deeper history into the church, and with his permission, I share that now with you as well. This letter is from Lloy Duane Thurman.

'I enjoyed the article on the Callaway Lutheran Church that appeared in the Courier. I have some earlier history on this building. The building was built in 1887, and moved to a site across the highway from the Lodi rail siding and cattle loading pens. I attended Evangelical Church in this building as a kid until 1942 when the congregation was so small it went to the Evangelical Church in Oconto. The building was vacant until 1944, when it was sold for $450 to the trustees of the Fidelity Evangelical Church in the Finchville community northwest of Callaway.

The structure was moved again and installed on the corner between Marshall and Bruce Woodward's farms and dedicated on July 29, 1945. This information and more can also be found on pp. 259-260 in my autobiographical book Growing up on a Nebraska Farm in the 1930s and 1940s. There should be copies in the Callaway library and the Seven Valleys Museum.'

It warms my heart to know I am far from alone when it comes to a desire to record our stories. That seems to become even more important the older we get. It is a very sobering thought to realize that I am now a member of the oldest generation left of my mother's family. All of a sudden, the responsibility of making sure the family history is shared with the next generation takes on a stronger sense of urgency.

After reading my column a while back about my uncle (the war hero and Bazooka bubble gum king) in this paper, his son – my cousin who I had not seen or talked to in many years – reached out to me. It turns out he has compiled a book about my uncle's life and his service in the Rainbow Division in World War II. He shared a copy of the book with me and as my brother and I pored over the pages, we became giddy with excitement at all of the details we were learning and stories we were reading that we did not know!

Some might say the next generation isn't really interested in such boring history, but I would argue that. Oh, maybe right now they are not. But they will be. And when the time comes that they want to know, I am counting on the archives of the local newspaper to help them connect some of the dots.

*Do you have an interesting story or family history that you would be willing to share? If so, I would love the opportunity to preserve that! Email me at ellen@syndicatepub.com or call or text me at 308-870-2191.