Here is What Ross Curry Has Been Writing

by Ross Curry

We see by Jen Steele’s Kilbourn Klippings that 25 years ago I published a family history book. It seems a lot longer than that, it was 14 years before I wrote another book. The last seven were done in retirement.

At the risk of sounding ostentatious I would like to elaborate on some of these books since few people get the opportunity to fulfill their dream of writing a book even on a very small scale like this.

The book mentioned above was “The Forebearers and Descendants of Henry and Abigail Barringer.” Henry and Abigail were my great-great grandparents. He settled in the Sauk County town of Reedsburg on pension land gained from his service in the War of 1812. His father served in the Revolutionary War. This book is a record of his family which probably now numbers in the thousands.

The second book was “Curry’s Combings,” the title is a play on words. This is the record of my great-grandfather William Curry’s family. They came to Wisconsin in 1849 and were related to the Pecks by marriage, the Pecks were the first white family in Madison and Baraboo. This book like the previous one is a genealogy.

I was writing ‘Kilbourn Klippings’ when I asked then editor Lonni Lown if I could write some other history stories. She gave her enthusiastic approval. Previously I had written a few for Jim and Jay Walch.

Hans Helland then encouraged me to have the history stories put together in a book and was the first person to purchase some copies. Most of the stories in all three Dells Area History volumes have previously ran in the Wisconsin Dells Events.

Next was Dells Area Indian History which has gathered together all the Indian stories I have written into one volume. Each time I make more copies of this book I include any Indian stories that I have written in the meantime.

Next in line to be written was the Bunce-Burdick book. Unlike the other two genealogies this book is mostly about my mother’s family in Illinois and Pennsylvania.

I then wrote a history of my church, the Baraboo Assembly of God. These articles first appeared in the church newsletter.

Finally the latest book: Dells Area History Volume III. This includes more stories than the previous two Dells Histories but fewer pictures. They are on sale at Bookworld in Wisconsin Dells, Portage and Baraboo, Travel Mart on Broadway, Parson’s Trading Post in Lake Delton, Brew’s Landing and The H.H. Bennett Museum or can be purchased by mail from me: Ross M. Curry, S947 Clara Avenue, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965.

These books have been sold in nearly every state in the Union. Most local libraries have some of them and the Wisconsin State Historical Library in Madison and the Mormon Library in Salt Lake City has a copy of all of them except the most recent one.

It would not have been possible without the cooperation of all my friends and those who purchased books. We are deeply appreciative of you all.