John Mason Peck

John Mason Peck (1789-1858) was a Baptist missionary on the Illinois frontier who evangelized; established numerous churches, Sunday schools and Bible societies; and established institutions for training preachers and teachers. The editor wrote that he drew upon fifty years of Peck’s collected correspondence (1808 -1858) as well as 53 volumes of his journals to write this memoir.

This is a long work; just over 1,000 pages in a single volume. At the beginning of the book there is a 7-page list of “Authorities used in the preparation of this work”, followed by a 28-page “Chronological Table” listing all of the important events in the region from Ponce de Leon’s discovery of Florida in 1512 until the Presidential election of 1856. This chronological table appears to serve as a Table of Contents, as the entire book is arranged chronologically, with the year under discussion at the top of every page.