In July, 1941, The Reader’s Digest ran one of their best-loved features, “My Most Unforgettable Character,” by Stephen LEACOCK.

Stephen LEACOCK was the head of the department of economics at McGill University in Montreal and wrote a standard textbook, “Elements of Political Science.” He also enjoyed humorous writing and wrote “Humor: Its Theory and Technique, “ and “Hellements of Hickonomics.” He retired in 1936, but at the time of this article’s printing (1941), he was 71 years old.

Mr. Leacock’s “most unforgettable character” was his father’s younger brother, Edward Philip LEACOCK,. This is not a genealogical treatise, but a delightful character sketch of an uncle and his place in Canadian history around 1860-1880. Stephen's family lived on a farm in Ontario, Canada, in "isolation the like of which is almost unknown today. We were 35 mils from a railway. There were no newspapers."

I am not a LEACOCK, but could not resist posting this information in hopes that the article might help fill in a family tree and add a precious story to boot. Vintage Reader’s Digests are often for sale on ebay or antique stores. If you have trouble finding it, contact me and we’ll see about sending a copy.

Becky