Another source, the George Dickman Diary, added a scope to the Sylvester daily life from the period of 1901 through 1912. The Dickman family lived just north of the E.L. Sylvester home on the other side of Broadway. Mr. Dickman ran the men’s clothing store and was active in many community affairs. His family consisted of his wife Emma, sons Franklin & Alvin, and daughters Vera & Leona. The Dickman & Sylvester families frequented many of the same social circles.

Byrl Sylvester’s personal letters from his war correspondence were discovered several years ago in a trunk in the Twin Cities. It is thought that they were from the Nettie Sylvester Caldwell household. These original letters were inserted on the dates they were written. Many of these letters were printed in the Plainview News (edited versions.). If you prefer to read these letters in a sequence when they were published rather than when they were written, the dates of the letters were noted to allow you to do so.

Newspaper clipping from Rochester and Winona papers of the Sylvester Bank Scandal were among other items in the trunk found in the Twin Cities. When they were included in this collection they were noted as to distinguish them from PLAINVIEW NEWS items.

This project could go on forever. I have the prison records of the years E.L. Sylvester spent in Stillwater. This includes all the correspondence written to the warden concerning him as well as visitors and a record of all letters received by E.L. Someday I hope to add them to this collection.

I’ve attempted to include a chart of family births and deaths. It is incomplete at this time. Perhaps it will be a catalyst for a more complete listing in the future.

For now, the time has come for me to halt this project. I hope it can be used by others to enjoy an unusual family saga. For me it has been an interesting search and I have enjoyed every moment. I hope it will serve as a valuable resource in the coming years.

Ron Manzow
November 2001

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