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Dale Payne releases
New Book

By Kathy Cummings

Although Dale Payne considers himself a researcher not an author - few will argue about the service his books give to living history. Although many find their passion is history, life may dictate that it is only a part time passion. Jobs, family and other things come before the research that we would all like to do. Reading the microfilm of the Draper manuscripts is a time consuming endeavor. But it is one that most of us have neither the time nor the inclination to do.

That's where Dale Payne comes in. He has literally poured over the manuscripts, deciphered and annotated examined and copied and explored them in great depth. With the release of this latest book, Frontier Memories III, Payne has completed the section of the Manuscripts known as the Shane Papers.

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 The Reverend John Dabney Shane was a collector of stories just as was Lyman C. Draper. Although there is no evidence the two ever met they were on a similar mission - to record the stories of the early pioneers who ventured to the areas west of the Appaalchians. When Shane died his papers were put up for sale and Lyman Draper ended up with them. And they in turn ended up with all of Drapers Papers at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Today they are available at select librarys and historical societys on microfilm.

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But reading the handwriting of men dead almost 200 yars ago is not an easy task. It takes dedication and perseverence. Dale Payne has both.

A few years ago he told me he was going to quit publishing his books. What would you do with all your time, I joked. It seems I wasn't far from the truth. He was soon back at it. His wife Marilyn helps him with the long and tedious task of creating the index. She goes through the manuscript with painstaking patience checking for all references to add to the index.

When I saw Dale this March at the Historic Managers Conference at Blue Licks, he couldn't wait to tell me ``that's it." ``The last book". But this time, he was doing the joking. It is the last book he said ``from the Shane Papers. I've been completely through them now and even went back through them." This latest book Frontier Memories III actually combines some of the first Frontier Memories from 2002 (that is now out of print). There were things that I passed up the first time as not what I thought would be interesting to readers. And things that were in the first Frontier Memories that I chose to expand upon. But both the readers and Payne have matured in that thought process. What may not have caught his eye several years ago - does now as he has become more and more familar with the work. ``Wouldn't it be fair to say also, I asked him, that you now have regular readers who have a far better understanding of the 18th century than when you wrote your first book." Payne agreed. He said he tried to stay with shorter stories from the manuscripts in the beginning. Now if it is a good story he will follow it no matter the length.

If you haven't had a chance to get a copy of any of these books, you're missing a good opportunity. Dale Payne has transcribed the manuscripts for us. All we have to do is pick up the book and read.Not all of Payne's books are from the Draper Manuscripts. Some of his earlier books site mutiple reference materials. But all are basically taken from first hand accounts of the ndian wars in Kentucky and Virginia.

Any of the books that are still in print can be ordered directly from Payne. Dale will be signing books at The Fort Boonesborugh Trade Fair Memorial Weekend and in the fall at The Long Run Massacre hosted by the Painted Stone Settlers in Shelbyville, KY .

Contact  Dale Payne at Rt. 3 Box 75, Fayettsville, WV 25840

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