Frank C. Pellett and his wife Ada lived in the white frame home on the southwest corner of 4th and Oak Street in Hamilton, Illinois. Their backyard view was a panoramic sweep of the Mississippi River and the Hamilton - Keokuk dam and powerhouse. Toward the rear of the lot was a mighty stand of oak trees and the western edge of the lot fell away vertically into the quarry. There was an ever present bird feeder that provided an endless variety of birds and wildlife. I came across a booklet of photos entitled "Greetings from Hamilton, Illinois, Christmas, 1919."
He was born about 1880 in Iowa. While living on his farm near Atlantic, Iowa, he wrote a delightfully revealing book in 1917 that he titled "Our Backyard Neighbors". His other books include, "The Romance of the Hive" and "American Honey Plants". He is listed as the editor of the "American Bee Journal" in the 1920 census.
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